Uruguay beat Argentina 2-1 at La Bombonera in first match since Messi retired

Uruguay beat Argentina 2-1 in a friendly at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires on Friday 13 November 2026, according to beIN Sports and the Córdoba outlet Cba24n. It was Argentina's first match since Lionel Messi retired from the national team, La Nación reported.

The first half was goalless. Uruguay then scored twice in about six minutes after the restart, and Julián Álvarez pulled one back for Argentina later in the half. The match kicked off at 20:00 local time, according to La Nación.

The result was the first test for coach Lionel Scaloni's side without Messi. Scaloni has guided Argentina to a World Cup title and two Copa América trophies, beIN Sports noted, and La Nación reported that he has been confirmed in the job until the 2030 World Cup. beIN said both teams are using the November international window to prepare for the road to that tournament.

How the goals were scored

Uruguay took the lead through an own goal by Argentina defender Leonardo Balerdi. beIN Sports gives the minute as the 48th; Cba24n gives the 47th. According to Cba24n, a high cross into the area was cleared only a short distance by Lisandro Martínez and the ball rebounded off Balerdi past goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli.

The second goal also came from a dead-ball situation, Cba24n reported. Giorgian De Arrascaeta delivered a cross into the area and the ball was headed backwards, off the back of the scorer's neck, into the far post past Rulli.

Reports disagree on who scored it. beIN Sports credits Maximiliano Araújo in the 53rd minute. Cba24n's live coverage names defender Ronald Araújo and places the goal in the 51st minute. The two players are not related and both were in Uruguay's squad. NewsWLD has not been able to confirm the scorer from a second independent source at the time of writing.

Argentina's goal came from substitute Gianluca Prestianni, who beat his marker on the left and crossed for Álvarez to finish, according to Cba24n. The timing is also disputed: beIN Sports gives the 73rd minute and Cba24n the 65th.

Argentina's changes and late pressure

Scaloni made changes in search of a reply. Matías Soulé replaced Exequiel Palacios at half-time, and Prestianni came on for Thiago Almada around the hour mark, Cba24n reported.

Argentina pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages. Cba24n described two clear chances in stoppage time that went unconverted. At the other end, Rulli saved a shot from Darwin Núñez on a Uruguay counter-attack in the 81st minute, the outlet said.

A changed Argentina line-up

Rulli started in goal and wore the captain's armband because all three of Argentina's designated captains were absent, according to La Nación. beIN Sports reported before the match that Lautaro Martínez and Rodrigo De Paul were unavailable and that Nicolás Otamendi and Leandro Paredes are no longer part of the squad. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez fractured his jaw in October and has not played for his club Chelsea since, beIN said. He was among the substitutes.

La Nación listed Argentina's starting XI as Rulli; Gonzalo Montiel, Balerdi, Lisandro Martínez, Facundo Medina; Palacios, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández; Nico Paz, Almada and Álvarez.

When the teams were read out over the stadium speakers, Scaloni and Emiliano Martínez drew the loudest cheers, according to a report by Vermouth Deportivo published on Yahoo.

Before the match, La Nación reported that Argentina had scored 11 goals without conceding in its recent run of matches. Friday's defeat brought that run of clean sheets to an end.

Uruguay under an interim coach

Uruguay are coached on an interim basis by former striker Diego Forlán, who took over after Marcelo Bielsa's departure. Friday was his fourth match in charge, according to beIN Sports, which reported that he is expected to stay until the federation appoints a permanent manager in 2027.

It was Uruguay's second consecutive win at La Bombonera. beIN Sports noted that Uruguay won 2-0 on their previous visit to the stadium, with Núñez among the scorers.

What comes next

Argentina play Costa Rica in Córdoba on Tuesday 17 November, the second of two friendlies in the final international window of the year, according to La Nación. Kick-off time and venue details had not been confirmed in the sources reviewed for this article.

No post-match comments from Scaloni or Forlán had been found in available reporting at the time of writing.