Lionel Messi goal puts Argentina top of World Cup group

Argentina now lead the 10-nation group with 14 points from seven matches.

 Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring the only goal of the match. (Source: Reuters)

Lionel Messi marked his retirement about face with a goal to give 10-man Argentina a 1-0 win over Uruguay on Thursday that lifted them to the top of the South American qualifying group for the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia.

In a match of few chances, Messi created something out of nothing three minutes before halftime when, surrounded by defenders, his shot from outside the box took a deflection on Jose Maria Gimenez and wrongfooted goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

It took Messi’s record as Argentina’s top scorer to 56 in his 114th international and proved the perfect insurance for his team who were reduced to 10 men when young forward Paulo Dybala was sent off on the stroke of halftime.

Dybala, who had almost put his side ahead in the 31st minute with a shot that hit the post, was sent off for a second booking and left the pitch in tears after his first start for Argentina.

Uruguay, who had spent virtually the entire first half defending, took the game to Argentina in the second but hardly troubled goalkeeper Sergio Romero.

“I wanted to be here after all the confusion I’d caused by first saying I wasn’t coming and then that I was,” Messi told reporters.

Messi said in June he was quitting international soccer after the disappointment of losing the Copa America final on penalties to Chile.

“From the moment I said that, the fans showed me a lot of affection and I’m really grateful, I couldn’t not come back.”

Argentina now lead the 10-nation group with 14 points from seven matches, one point more than Uruguay, Colombia and Ecuador in the four qualification places.

Brazil, who beat Ecuador 3-0 in Quito with two goals by teenager Gabriel Jesus, are fifth — which would put them in an inter-continental playoff for one more berth.

All four coaches who were taking charge of their first matches won, including Argentina’s Edgardo Bauza, who now takes his side to play bottom team Venezuela away on Tuesday.

Brazil’s Tite will be looking to confirm their improvement at home against Colombia, who beat Venezuela 2-0.

Paraguay, under new coach Francisco Arce, upset Copa America holders Chile 2-1 in Asuncion to climb to sixth also with 12 points and play Uruguay next in Montevideo.

Bolivia gave their new coach Guillermo Hoyos a winning start with a 2-0 home win over Peru and face seventh-placed Chile away next.

Ecuador, who had made a fine start to the qualifiers with a 2-0 away victory over Argentina last year as the first of four successive wins, face Peru in Lima.

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I’m frustrated not to be in England ODI XI week in week out: Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow, who has already scored nearly 1,000 runs in Test cricket this year, is desperate to make the most of any one-day chances he gets.

Jonny Bairstow made a brisk 61 and helped Ben Stokes (69) add 103 for the fifth wicket. (Source: Reuters)

Jonny Bairstow is determined to nail down a place in England’s one-day team after his latest ‘supersub’ display helped condemn Pakistan to a defeat on his Headingley home ground.

First-choice Test wicket-keeper Bairstow was only told he was playing by England coach Trevor Bayliss just over half an hour before the start of the match after regular one-day gloveman Jos Buttler suffered a hamstring injury inthe warm-up.

Bairstow responded with an assured display behind the stumps.

He then made a brisk 61 and helped Ben Stokes (69) add 103 for the fifth wicket as England, who had stumbled to 72 for four chasing a target of 248, eventually won by four wickets to go 4-0 up in this five-match series.

Last year Bairstow guided England to a one-day series clinching win over New Zealand — a key-staging post in their recovery from a dismal first-round exit at the 2015 World Cup — with an unbeaten 83 at Chester-le-Street after Buttler was ruled out with a hand injury.

There has been talk of England, the hosts of both the 2017 Champions Trophy and 2019 World Cup one-day tournaments, playing both Buttler and Bairstow in the same white-ball side, with one of them featuring as a specialist batsman.

But in the meantime Bairstow, who has already scored nearly 1,000 runs in Test cricket this year, is desperate to make the most of any one-day chances he gets, however late they come.

‘Special group’

“It was about 32 minutes before the start,” Bairstow said after being asked when he knew he was playing in front of his adoring Yorkshire public yesterday.

“Trev came over and just said, ‘You’re in’.” However, with England on the up in one-day cricket, Bairstow wants to be more than a white-ball ‘reserve’.

“It’s a special group of players and we believe we can go a long way in world competitions and series,” he said.

“But naturally I’m frustrated not to be in that XI week in week out.

“Every time I get an opportunity I want to try to impress and that’s all I can do.

“Whether that be keeping wicket, just playing as a batter, batting at one or 11 — every time you go out there you try to do your best.

“You’ve just got to take it on the chin, crack on and hope you take the opportunity when it does come along,” added Bairstow ahead of Sunday’s series finale in Cardiff.

Bairstow, the son of late former Yorkshire and England wicket-keeper David Bairstow, looked considerably younger than his 26 years yesterday, having shaved off his beard after receiving a message from his mother, Janet, a Headingley administrator.

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