A brilliant first-half goal from Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez was enough to see Argentina defeat Chile on the road 1-0 in World Cup qualifying on Thursday evening.
La Albiceleste enjoyed a commanding first half, and though the hosts were rampant in the closing stages of the match, nearly securing an equalising goal on multiple occasions, Lionel Scaloni's side held out to confirm that they will finish top of the CONMEBOL table with three matches to spare.
The winner from Alvarez arrived 16 minutes into the game after Thiago Almada made a blistering run into the final third of the pitch before feeding the striker on the counter, who lifted a cheeky shot over the goalkeeper and into the net. Lionel Messi came off the bench in the 57th minute of the match to help secure the result, though he had very little impact on the contest itself.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, though made two crucial saves in the second half, as the Aston Villa shot-stopper proved to be reliable on the international stage once again.
GOAL rates Argentina's players from Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos in Santiago...
