The national team lost 1-0 to Ecuador on a night to forget in Guayaquil.

Argentina had a lackluster night against Ecuador in the final round of the South American Qualifiers. The national team was never able to make a difference, and La Tri managed to make the most of its physical advantage and its rival's defensive shortcomings, winning quite convincingly by 1-0.

The home team started the match with possession and several clear chances, including a shot by Angulo that Dibu saved at the near post and a goal disallowed for a clear offside by Enner Valencia.

That dominance by La Tri in the first half hour led to a dangerous attack that began with a long pass from Moisés Caicedo, and was received by Valencia, who got behind Balerdi and forced Otamendi to challenge him as the last man, resulting in his sending off in his last Qualifiers match with the national team.

The red card for the Benfica defender forced Lionel Scaloni to make an emergency substitution to reinforce the defense (Juan Foyth for Giulano Simeone), although it did not stop the home team's attacks, as they took advantage of the numerical superiority.

Despite this adverse situation for the Albiceleste, the Ecuadorian side was unable to convert its chances into goals. However, just before halftime, Tagliafico committed a controversial penalty on Ángelo Preciado, which Valencia converted into a goal.

In the second half, Ecuador was unable to maintain its extra man, as Caicedo received a second yellow card after a clash with Nico González.

From that moment on, Argentina was able to have, for the first time, some spells of possession and pressure in the Ecuadorian defensive zone, but they did not result in anything, ending the match with more doubts than certainties.

With this result, the national team finished first, undisputed, in the South American Qualifiers with 38 points, the result of 12 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses. Meanwhile, this defeat also meant the end of its run as number one in the FIFA ranking, as it will be surpassed by Spain and France in the next update.