BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Lionel Messi scored his 10th international hat trick to take his career total to 112 goals. He also had a pair of assists to lead Argentina 6-0 over Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

After missing a few qualifiers in October while recovering from a right ankle injury Stunned in the Copa America, Messi played the entire match in front of raucous fans at Estadio Monumental who chanted his name after he opened the scoring in the 19th minute.

Messi added goals in the 84th and 86th minutes. The 37-year-old is second on the career scoring list behind Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s 133.

Rival Brazil and downtrodden coach Dorival Júnio got some relief with a convincing performance in a 4-0 home win against Peru.

Argentina leads the South American qualifying with 22 points after ten matches, three points ahead of second-place Colombia, who defeated Chile 4-0. Uruguay, who previously drew goalless with Ecuador, and Brazil have 16 points each, with the Uruguayans in third place on goal difference.

Ecuador and Paraguay follow with 13 points each, while Ecuadorians are fifth on goal difference.

The top six teams automatically secure a spot at the 2026 World Cup. The seventh-place team, currently Bolivia, will play in an international play-off for a spot in the tournament.

Two more rounds will be played in November.

Messi in strong form on return

Messi’s first goal came after a mistake by a Bolivian defender, who missed a pass and allowed Messi to run free and finish unchallenged in front of goalkeeper Billy Viscarra. Messi assisted Lautaro Martínez’s goal in the 43rd minute and made another decisive pass. Julián Álvarez scored in the third minute of stoppage time in the first half.

Thiago Almada in the 69th minute after a low cross from Nahuel Molina, before Messi had a great finishing touch from the edge of the area.

“We enjoyed this, we are happy to play here in Argentina,” said Messi, who again declined to say whether he will play at the next World Cup in 2026. “This could be one of the last (matches for the Argentinian public).”

Bolivia, which wants to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in thirty years, remains in contention with twelve points.

Brazil appears again under Júnior

This month’s South American qualifying rounds were important for coach Dorival Júnior. His team was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the last Copa America and had to face rivals it previously defeated easily, such as Paraguay and Venezuela.

Júnior’s chances of success looked low in games against Chile and Peru due to injuries to several of his starters; goalkeeper Alisson, defender Éder Militão and striker Vinicius Júnior were all out. But a last-minute win against the Chileans and a convincing performance against the Peruvians will provide some relief for the Brazilian coach.

Raphinha scored twice from the spot to put Brazil ahead in Brasilia, the first in the 38th minute and the second in the 54th.

Substitute Andreas Pereira left more than 60,000 fans gasping at the National Stadium when he scored with a volley in the 71st minute. Another substitute, Luiz Henrique, scored for the second consecutive game for the national team with a classy shot from the edge of the penalty area.

“These were two games that we controlled well,” said Raphinha. “We are far from perfection, but we are on the right track.”

Chile in last place

Chile’s loss to Colombia puts national coach Ricardo Gareca’s job in jeopardy. Davinson Sánchez, Luis Díaz, Jhon Durán and Luis Sinistierra scored the goals for Colombia. Chile is in last place in the qualifying group with only five points.

Paraguay defeated Venezuela 2–1 and reached a qualifying position in the rankings. Jon Aramburo opened the scoring for the visitors in the 25th minute, but striker Antonio Sarabia came off the bench to win the match for the hosts with goals in the 59th and 74th minutes.

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Savarese reported from Sao Paulo

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