Fernandez was part of a midfield three as Argentina beat Peru 1-0 to extend their lead at the top of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualification table to five points.

Victory came courtesy of Lautaro Martinez's half-volley ten minutes into the second half, following a great cross from Lionel Messi - the Inter Milan forward's 32nd goal for his country moved him level with Diego Maradona in fifth place on Argentina's all-time goalscorer list.

The top six teams in the South American table qualify for the 2026 World Cup automatically, with the seventh-placed side going into a play-off tournament alongside five other teams for the two extra spots available.

Argentina find themselves in a very strong position as there are only six of the 18 group games remaining and they are currently 12 points ahead of seventh-placed Bolivia, with only 18 points up for grabs.

Ecuador's hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States were also boosted with a win on Tuesday night.

Like Fernandez, Caicedo played the full 90 minutes as his country won 1-0 to move up to third in the table on 19 points.

Enner Valencia's goal in the seventh minute proved to be enough but they were made to work for the win as Piero Hincapie was sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity just after the half-hour mark and Colombia laid siege to Ecuador's goal, with 25 attempts compared to the away team's four.

Ecuador's Kendry Paez, who will join Chelsea after his 18th birthday, was an unused substitute.

Another exciting 17-year-old who is set to join the Blues next year, Estevao Willian, came on as a 73rd-minute substitute for Brazil during their 1-1 draw with Uruguay.

Brazil are currently fifth in the standings on 18 points, seven behind leaders Argentina and five ahead of seventh-placed Bolivia.