Ecuador 1-0 Argentina: Centurion Valencia downs world champions in qualifying finale
On the occasion of his 100th appearance for Ecuador, Enner Valencia's first-half penalty helped his nation down Argentina.
Enner Valencia marked his 100th international appearance with the winning goal as Ecuador beat Argentina 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier that saw both sides have a man sent off.
Ecuador and current world champions Argentina had already qualified for next year's tournament, but there was no shortage of intensity at Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha.
Valencia thought he had given the hosts an early lead when he bundled the ball beyond Emiliano Martinez, but the goal was ruled out for offside against the Ecuador captain.
However, Argentina were reduced to 10 men in the 31st minute when Nicolas Otamendi tangled with Valencia as the former West Ham United forward raced through on goal.
And Ecuador eventually made their man advantage count in the 13th minute of first-half stoppage time when Nicolas Tagliafico's flailing arm caught Angelo Preciado in the box.
The awarding of the penalty was given following a lengthy VAR review, with Valencia stepping up to dispatch the resulting spot-kick on his landmark outing for his nation.
But the numbers on the field were made even five minutes after the restart when Moises Caicedo, who was already on a booking, caught Nico Gonzalez late in midfield.
Ecuador had the chance to double their lead late on, only for Martinez to thwart Kevin Rodriguez one-on-one, but Sebastian Beccacece's held on for a morale-boosting victory.
Data Debrief: Argentina struggle in Messi's absence
Lionel Messi played what he said was his final competitive home game in Argentina's 3-0 win over Venezuela last week, also suggesting he could sit out the upcoming World Cup, but his team will be hoping their superstar player is around next summer.
Without their record goalscorer in their ranks, Argentina mustered an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.34 from their eight shots, none of which were on target, compared to Ecuador's 1.81 from their 11 attempts.
Despite only playing 12 of Argentina's 18 qualifying fixtures, Messi topped the goalscoring charts with eight goals, the first time he has done so in his illustrious international career. Indeed, it is the lowest tally for a top scorer in South American qualifying since the tournament was played in its current format in 1996.
