RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Lautaro Martínez’s goal gave Argentina a 1-0 win over Peru on Tuesday in a South American World Cup qualifying match in Buenos Aires.

The victory nearly secures Lionel Messi’s team a spot in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Messi crossed the ball in the penalty area in the 55th minute to give Martínez one of the few clear opportunities of the match.

Argentina leads South American qualifying with 25 points from 12 matches. The loss left Peru in the 10th and last position in the round-robin competition with seven points.

Until Martínez scored, Argentina’s best chance was in the 21st minute, when striker Julián Alvarez hit the Peruvian goalkeeper’s right post. Messi once again had a modest performance, as he did in his team’s 2-1 defeat at Paraguay on Thursday.

Also on Tuesday, Ecuador won 1-0 at Colombia with a goal by Enner Valencia in the seventh minute, in which he dribbled through three players before scoring. Ecuador lost defender Piero Hincapié to a red card in the 34th minute but held on for the win.

Bolivia and Paraguay drew 2-2 in a match between teams that could end up fighting for the seventh position in the region’s qualifying, which secures a berth in an international playoff.

Chile, one of the worst performing teams in the region this year, showed some fighting spirit and beat Venezuela 4-2. The hosts scored with Eduardo Vargas (20), Tomás Rincón (own goal, 29), and Lucas Cepeda (38 and 47). Venezuela’s goals were scored by Jefferson Savarino (13) and Ruben Ramirez (22).

Brazil hosted Uruguay in a late match.

The next round of South American World Cup qualifying will be played in March.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer