Ecuador 1-0 Argentina, FIFA WC CONMEBOL Qualifiers: Life After Messi ‘Difficult’ For Albiceleste, Says Scaloni

Lionel Scaloni acknowledged that replacing some of Argentina's veteran players, including Lionel Messi, will be challenging, as the team got a taste of life without them in their 1-0 loss to Ecuador on Tuesday.

With Angel Di Maria now retired from international football, Lionel Messi rested, and Nicolas Otamendi seeing red after just 31 minutes in Guayaquil, a youthful Argentina squad fell to Enner Valencia's penalty 13 minutes into first-half stoppage time.

Having already qualified for next year's World Cup, Argentina were unable to mount a second-half comeback, despite the hosts also being reduced to 10-men after Moises Caicedo was dismissed in the 50th minute. 

Messi, who has scooped eight Ballon d'Or trophies during his 22-years as a professional footballer, finished the South American qualifiers as the top scorer for the first time in his career, with eight goals for Argentina.

Di Maria, Otamendi, and Messi were pivotal in Argentina's victories in the last two Copa America tournaments and the 2022 World Cup, but the latter two are unlikely to continue beyond next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

"It is evident that those who have or will leave the national team are of an incredible level. And it is up to us to be able to find those who can continue to keep us at high levels," claimed Scaloni.

"Obviously, it will be difficult to find players of that calibre but our goal is to continue trusting in what brought us here, knowing that there is always an opponent who can win like today."

Ecuador, who kept nine clean sheets in their last 10 World Cup qualifiers, frustrated the visitors and reduced them to an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.34. 

"When the rival plays well, there are times when you have to suffer. We suffered in some moments, especially when we have been left with 10 men," Scaloni admitted.

"The game was distorted by the sending off and we could not create many goalscoring opportunities. But [I'm still] positive, because the team tried, we showed our face in our own way of playing, and against a very good opponent.

"I think the second half was ours. We could have done better but it didn't happen.

"Fortunately, we are used to winning lately. And there are times when it's not your turn. Ecuador are a good team and put us in difficulty.

"In the second half I think the team, after the dismissal of Caicedo, showed a different side and that's a positive. We have to continue. You don't always win."