Otamendi blunder in Ecuador: Benfica man spoils special match | OneFootball

Argentina lost 1-0 to Ecuador in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match. The game was marked by Nicolás Otamendi's farewell from matches of this caliber, and the Benfica center-back even captained the albiceleste in the absence of Lionel Messi... but ended up being sent off.

Playing at home and with the possibility of finishing the group in second place, Ecuador took control of the match early on. Argentina tried to respond, but the task became more difficult when Otamendi was sent off with a straight red card in the 31st minute.

The experienced Enner Valencia didn't falter and scored what would be the only goal of the match.

At the start of the second half, Moisés Caicedo received his second yellow card and the match was played with 10 players on each side. Although Argentina created more danger since then, it was not enough to reverse the disadvantage.

Despite the defeat, Otamendi and company are qualified for the next World Cup - and they already know some possible opponents. The player's team Benfica finishes the qualifying phase in first place in the group, with 38 points. Ecuador (29), Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay (28) also qualified, while Bolivia (20) will play in the playoff. Venezuela (18), Peru (12) and Chile (11) are out of the competition.

See the moment of Otamendi's expulsion:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.