World Cup Qualifiers: Argentina Beats Colombia To Extend 29-Game Unbeaten Streak, Chile Holds On To World Cup Hope

Two teams came into the World Cup qualifers in Cordoba with opposing trajectories in mind, and after 90 minutes of play, Argentina flexed their muscles after a Lautaro Martinez goal gave them a 1-0 win over Colombia.

The visitors encountered the match desperately needing a result, and despite the fact that they emptied the tank to keep Argentina from completely pummeling Camilo Vargas' net, Los Cafeteros were overwhelmed for the majority of the match, per the Sun.

Argentina was very dominant in the first half, with Angel Di Maria playing the role of Lionel Messi.

Messi's PSG teammate, Di Maria, was the greatest player on the pitch Tuesday night, manipulating the strings and coming close on a few instances.

The game leaves Colombia in an extremely gloomy situation.

Ranking seventh in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualification table--three points out of the intercontinental playoffs--has affected their chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

While Colombia improved as the second half progressed, they only had one decent chance in front of the goal, and Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez crushed any thoughts of breaking the duck.

Argentina's Longest Active Unbeaten Streak

La Albiceleste, the nickname for the Argentina national team, proved its dominance with a comprehensive victory and needed just Lautaro's first-half goal to see it out.

With the win, they now have the longest active streak in the world of 29 consecutive games without a loss since July 2019.

After Lautaro's goal separated the two teams at the break, Colombia sat back and let Argentina control the game, Sporting News reported.

A cross from the Marcos Acuna made its way through to Lautaro, who slotted home into the bottom corner past Vargas. In midfield, Giovani Lo Celso and Di Maria's outstanding performances helped the Argentines control possession.

Acuna, on the other hand, worked tirelessly down the left-wing.

With the final kick of the first period, Colombia nearly scored a shock equalizer, but a last-gasp clearance wiped it out.

Argentina 1-0 Colombia in Halftime

After 45 minutes of the team's dominance, the hosts deservedly lead on Lautaro Martinez's goal. Still, the Argentinian locker room was a little tense during the break.

Despite Argentina's relentless and smothering pressure, a one-goal lead means anything can go wrong at any time, and the visitors nearly did just that on the stroke of halftime.

That served as a warning sign for Argentina, who had been excellent defensively this qualifying cycle but were missing a number of key regulars, including defenders Nicolas Tagliafico and Nicolas Otamendi.

The home team had more control in the second half, and the crowd began to enjoy the performance's cruising nature.

Colombia barely bothered Lautaro in the Argentina goal.

Emi Buendia made his competitive debut, the cherry on the cake for the winning side.

Chile Holds on to World Cup Hope

On the other World Cup qualification, Chile beat Bolivia 3-2 on Tuesday to keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive, thanks to Alexis Sanchez's double.

Chile climbed into fifth place in the 10-team South American group on 19 points with two games remaining for both teams.

The top four teams in the section automatically qualify for Qatar, while the fifth-placed club will face an Asian confederation team in a playoff.

Brazil and Argentina have already qualified, and Ecuador, which is currently ranked third, is almost set to follow next.

Sanchez placed Chile ahead after 14 minutes on a hard field in the Bolivian capital, but the home team closed the gap eight minutes before halftime through Marc Enoumba.

After 77 minutes, Marcelino Nunez restored the advantage for Chile, and Sanchez added a third with four minutes on the clock.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Argentina vs Colombia 1−0 - Extеndеd Hіghlіghts & All Gоals 2022 HD - from WC 2022 Official