Argentina celebrated their 2026 World Cup qualification with a dazzling 4-1 thrashing of arch-rivals Brazil in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.
Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and Giuliano Simeone sealed an emphatic win for the world champions, who had been assured of their World Cup berth after Bolivia's 0-0 draw with Uruguay earlier Tuesday.
That goalless stalemate ensured a festive atmosphere at the Estadio Monumental before a ball had been kicked and Argentina kept the party going with a blistering performance.
Atletico Madrid forward Alvarez opened the scoring after just six minutes, latching onto Thiago Almada's through ball and dinking a close-range finish past Brazil goalkeeper Bento.
It got better for Argentina six minutes later when Chelsea's Fernandez tucked away the hosts' second goal of the night after Brazil's back four failed to deal with a low cross.
With Brazil being run ragged by a rampant Argentina, they were thrown a lifeline on 26 minutes after a blunder by Cristian Romero gifted a goal to Mattheus Cunha.
Tottenham defender Romero was caught in possession 25 yards from goal, allowing Cunha to steal in and drive a low shot past Emiliano Martinez to make it 2-1.
But any hopes of a Brazilian fightback were snuffed out in the 37th minute with a superb goal from Mac Allister.
Almada was once again the creator, lofting a pass into the area which Mac Allister met with a first-time volley to make it 3-1.
With Argentina in complete control, Simeone then brought the house down with a 71st minute strike to make it 4-1 – his first international goal.
ECUADOR ON TRACK
Simeone, the 22-year-old son of Argentine legend Diego Simeone, somehow blasted into the roof of the net from an acute angle to crown a dominant performance by the hosts.
The win means Argentina have qualified for next year's finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada with four games to spare.
The Argentines lead the 10-team qualifying group with 31 points from 14 games and are guaranteed one of the six automatic qualifying slots awarded to South America. Brazil are fourth.
In other South American games, Ecuador stayed on course for qualification with a 0-0 draw against Chile in Santiago. Ecuador are second in the standings, eight points adrift of Argentina on 23 points.
Uruguay's draw with Bolivia – and Brazil's heavy loss – allowed them to move up to third place on goal difference.
Colombia meanwhile missed the chance to close the gap on the leaders after a 2-2 home draw with Paraguay in Barranquilla.
Goals from Luis Diaz and Jhon Duran fired Colombia into a 2-0 lead after just 13 minutes but Paraguay grabbed a share of the points with goals from Junior Alonso and Julio Enciso.
Venezuela boosted their hopes of a first-ever World Cup qualification with a 1-0 win over Peru in Maturin.
Salomon Rondon's 41st-minute penalty secured three precious points for Venezuela, who are the only South American team never to have qualified for the World Cup.
Venezuela's win lifted them into seventh place in the table, leaving them on course for an inter-confederation playoff.
SON BLAMES BAD PITCHES AS SOUTH KOREA SLIP UP
In other parts of the world, Son Heung-min blamed South Korea's shoddy pitches for their 2026 World Cup qualifying struggles after a 1-1 draw with Jordan left them sweating on an automatic place at the tournament.
The Koreans were held at home for a second game in a row on Tuesday after also drawing with Oman last week and hold a precarious lead at the top of Asian qualifying Group B with an away trip to third-placed Iraq still to come.
South Korea's two qualifiers in March were moved away from Seoul because of the capital stadium's poor pitch but skipper Son said the turf was still below par and took aim at his country's football administrators.
"When we're at home we're supposed to enjoy the best playing conditions possible but things have not improved at all," the Tottenham striker told reporters after the game in Suwon.
"I know we can play better than this but when conditions on our home soil get in the way, then I wonder where we should get our home advantage."
Poor pitches have been a running theme in South Korean football, with former Manchester United and England forward Jesse Lingard also weighing in last month.
Lingard, who now plays for FC Seoul in the K League, tripped over a chunk of turf while playing at home for his club and later took to social media to air his frustration.
South Korea's World Cup qualifier against Iraq in October last year was also moved away from the capital because of the playing conditions.
"I know this may sound like an excuse, but every small detail matters in football," said Son.
"It can make the difference of getting one point or getting three points. I hope people will pay closer attention to it."
Lee Jae-sung gave South Korea the lead in the fifth minute before Jordan equalised later in the first half.
The result leaves the Koreans on top of Group B with 16 points, three ahead of Jordan and four ahead of Iraq, who suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Palestine.
The top two qualify automatically for the World Cup in 2026 in North America.
South Korea play Iraq away in their next game before rounding off their campaign at home to Kuwait.
"Despite this disappointment we're still leading the group and that's a fact," said Son.
"We want to stay there until the end of the round."
JAPAN DISPLAY TALENT AND AMBITION TO SCALE NEW HEIGHTS
Elsewhere, Japan have never gone beyond the last 16 at a World Cup but they have set themselves the ambitious target of winning next year's tournament after dominating in Asian qualifying.
Hajime Moriyasu's side became the first team to punch their ticket to the 2026 competition in the United States, Canada and Mexico when they beat Bahrain 2-0 last week in Saitama.
With their place sealed, they followed that up with a 0-0 home draw with Saudi Arabia, giving them 20 points from eight games with 24 goals scored and two conceded in the third round of qualifiers.
Japan are 15th in the Fifa rankings and Moriyasu and his players firmly believe they can become the first Asian team to lift the World Cup next summer.
"We're aiming to win it," said Crystal Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada, one of five English Premier League players in the squad.
"That's what we all keep saying. Our goal is to win the World Cup."
Japan have reached the last 16 four times since making their first World Cup appearance in 1998.
They stunned Germany and Spain to reach the knock-out stage at the 2022 tournament in Qatar but lost on penalties to Croatia.
"That showed us that we had a chance, which was a big thing for me," said Moriyasu.
"The Japan Football Association has been saying that we want to win the World Cup by 2050 and we are taking on the challenge to improve so that we can make it happen."
Moriyasu knows that his team are not there yet and said they have to "improve in every department" before heading to North America.
EUROPE-BASED TALENT
He can call on more Europe-based players than ever, with 11 appearing in this season's Uefa Champions League.
Captain Wataru Endo has become an important part of Liverpool's squad while Kaoru Mitoma has developed into one of the best wingers in the Premier League at Brighton.
Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo is one of the best attackers in the Spanish league.
Japan have more strength in depth than ever before but Endo says there is no friction between players competing for starting places.
"We all have to think about what's best for the team and everyone understands that," he said.
"I think that's a particular strong point among Japanese people. I think Japan are the strongest when it comes to team unity."
Japan have often performed best at World Cups when expectations have been low.
They narrowly lost to Belgium in the last 16 at the 2018 tournament in Russia just two months after firing their coach.
They went to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil confident that they could make a splash but returned home early after a dismal display in the group stage.
Defender Yuto Nagatomo, who has played at a record four World Cups, said: "We have improved but if you overestimate your own ability and are too pleased with yourself, that's when it all starts to fall apart."
The 38-year-old, who has won 142 caps for Japan, added: "I personally experienced that at the World Cup in Brazil and I think that's the danger.
"It's okay for everyone to know that they are good players, but you have to back it up every day in training."
Japan cannot be accused of lacking ambition, with Endo calling for fans to buy into their goal of winning the World Cup in an on-pitch address after sealing qualification.
That may be seen as unrealistic by some, but as Spain and Germany found out in Qatar, Japan are a threat.
"What's important from this point is not the results but the process," said Endo.
"Until now we've been trying to qualify so we've needed to get results.
"If we want to win the World Cup, how we use our time between now and the tournament is crucial."
KLUIVERT SAYS BEST TO COME
Patrick Kluivert said it was "just the beginning" after his Indonesia side beat Bahrain 1-0 in front of nearly 70 000 in Jakarta to breathe new life into their World Cup qualifying hopes.
Five days after Barcelona and Dutch great Kluivert saw his team thrashed 5-1 by Australia in his first game as coach, Oxford United's Ole Romeny scored the only goal in the 24th minute for a vital three points on Tuesday.
Japan top Asian qualifying Group C and have already punched their ticket to North America in 2026, with Australia in distant second in the other automatic qualifying place on 13 points.
With two rounds of matches to go, Saudi Arabia are third on 10 points, one point ahead of Indonesia in fourth, with Bahrain and China on six points.
Teams finishing third and fourth go into another round of qualifying – Indonesia's most likely route to their first World Cup since gaining independence as a country in 1945.
Kluivert said the packed crowd at GBK stadium helped drag his side over the line.
"It was fantastic, we knew the atmosphere would be like this, 69 000 people cheering. I want to thank the fans for having supported us here in the stadium," said the 48-year-old Dutchman.
Kluivert felt his team, made up of mostly Netherlands-born naturalised players, were full value for only their second victory in eight matches in this qualifying phase.
"We have first of all to be very happy with this result, we deserved to win with the chances we created, we deserved even more goals," said Kluivert, whose team host bottom side China in June and then travel to already qualified Japan in their final group match.
"In Australia, it was a result that we did not deserve. This time in front of our fans we are very happy to have this result and to share with the fans.
"It's just the beginning, we have more time till June, we have a little time to fix everything even better."