Lionel Messi hit the post twice after he came off the bench but struggled to deliver a strong performance following his return from injury, but Argentina managed to beat Paraguay 1-0 on Thursday in a South American World Cup qualifying match.
The World Cup winners picked up their third victory in three matches of the round-robin competition.
The only goal of the match came in the third minute after a corner kick that found Nicolás Otamendi free from marking in the penalty box. The defender smashed the ball into the net with a left-foot volley.
