Lionel Messi notched his 10th international hat trick, boosting his career tally to 112 goals, and contributed two assists as Argentina dominated Bolivia 6-0 in a World Cup qualifier Tuesday.
After sitting out two October qualifiers because of a right ankle injury sustained in the Copa América, Messi returned in full form, playing the entire match at Estadio Monumental.
Roaring fans chanted his name as he opened the scoring in the 19th minute. He sealed the victory with strikes in the 84th and 86th minutes.
The 37-year-old remains second on the all-time scoring list, trailing only Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 133 goals.
Meanwhile, Brazil and embattled coach Dorival Junior found some relief with a dominant 4-0 home victory over Peru.
Argentina leads South American qualifying with 22 points after 10 matches, three points clear of second-place Colombia, which beat Chile 4-0. Uruguay, which earlier had a scoreless draw with Ecuador, and Brazil have 16 points each, with Uruguay in third place on goal difference.
Ecuador and Paraguay followed with 13 points apiece, with Ecuador fifth in goal difference.
The top six teams secure automatic berths in the 2026 World Cup. The seventh-place team, currently Bolivia, will play in an international playoff for a spot in the tournament.
Two more rounds will be played in November.
Messi’s first goal came after a mistake by a Bolivian defender, who missed a pass and allowed Messi to run freely and finish unchallenged in front of goalkeeper Billy Viscarra. Messi assisted on Lautaro Martinez’s 43rd-minute goal and provided a decisive pass once again as Julian Alvarez scored in the third minute of first-half stoppage time.
Thiago Almada scored in the 69th minute off a low cross by Nahuel Molina before Messi completed his hat trick with precise finishes from the edge of the area.
"We enjoyed this, we are happy to be here playing in Argentina," Messi said, again refusing to say whether he will play in the 2026 World Cup. "This could be one of the last (matches in front of the Argentine crowd)."
Bolivia, which is seeking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 30 years, remains in contention with 12 points.
This month’s rounds of South American qualifying were crucial for coach Dorival Junior. His team was knocked out in the quarterfinals of the latest Copa América and had struggled against rivals it used to beat easily, such as Paraguay and Venezuela.
Junior's chances of success seemed slim in matches against Chile and Peru because injuries sidelined several of his starters. Goalkeeper Alisson, defender Eder Militao, and striker Vinicius Junior were all out. However, a last-minute win against the Chileans and a convincing display against the Peruvians will give the Brazil coach some relief.
Raphinha scored from the penalty spot twice to put Brazil in front in Brasília, the first in the 38th minute and the second in the 54th.
Substitute Andreas Pereira thrilled more than 60,000 fans at the National Stadium when he scored with a volley in the 71st minute. Another substitute, Luiz Henrique, scored for the second consecutive match with a classy shot from the edge of the box.
"These were two matches that we controlled well," Raphinha said. "We are far from perfection, but we are on the right track."
Chile’s loss to Colombia has put coach Ricardo Gareca’s job at risk. Davinson Sanchez, Luis Diaz, Jhon Duran and Luis Sinisterra scored the goals for Colombia. Chile is last in the qualifying group with only five points.
Paraguay beat Venezuela 2-1 and moved into a qualifying position in the standings. Jon Aramburu opened the scoring for the visitors in the 25th minute, but striker Antonio Sanabria came off the bench to win it for the hosts with goals in the 59th and 74th minutes.