Uruguay Beat Argentina 2-1 at La Bombonera in the First Match Since Messi Retired

Goal's account is more detailed about the build-up to the first goal than the wire summaries are. It says Darwin Nunez flicked on the free-kick before it reached Balerdi, so the goal is recorded as an own goal even though the delivery and the flick were Uruguay's work.

What did Diego Forlan do with Uruguay?

Diego Forlan was in his fourth match as Uruguay's interim coach, beIN reports. Goal says he set the team out in two compact banks of four, defended deep, and then saw his side get more of the ball through Rodrigo Bentancur. Argentina played a 4-3-3 but struggled to create clear chances, in Goal's view, and its writer argues that Scaloni's half-time removal of Exequiel Palacios left a hole in midfield that Uruguay used.

What does it mean for Argentina without Messi?

ESPN says Messi retired from international football in early October after a 1-0 World Cup final defeat to Spain in New Jersey, with a farewell friendly win over Benin last month. He finished with 207 caps and 125 goals. The stadium did not sell out on Friday, ESPN notes, which it calls unusual for a Messi-era match.

Scaloni, who signed a contract extension through 2030 this week according to ESPN, said the team must rebuild without Messi but has the talent to recover, and that the second-half performance gave him material to study. He left the No. 10 shirt unassigned, ESPN says, and Nico Paz and Thiago Almada did not fill the creative gap in the final third.

Argentina face Costa Rica in Cordoba on Tuesday 17 November, with kick-off listed for 23:00, and Uruguay face the Dominican Republic at home, according to Goal. The first test of the rebuild is whether Scaloni names a new number 10.