Lionel Messi was back at his devastating best as he scored twice to lead Argentina to a 2-0 win over Peru in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday night. The Inter Miami star scored twice in the first half both superb left-footed strikes from around the edge of the penalty box as his side strengthened their position in first place in South American qualifying.
The 36-year-old was recently sidelined for Inter Miami with a scar tissue problem but now appears to be back to his very best. He even had a goal for his hat-trick correctly ruled out for offside but it needed a VAR check.
Messi came on as a substitute in Thursday’s 1-0 win over Paraguay but was on the pitch from the start of the game in Lima. The two victories see Argentina lead the South American World Cup qualifying group by five points ahead of Uruguay, Brazil and Venezuela all three are tied for second.
The 36-year-old put the world champions ahead in the 32nd minute with a superb shot after an assist from Nicolas Gonzalez, and made it 2-0 just 10 minutes later with a fierce finish from Enzo Fernandez’s pass.
