In the end, Argentina’s spot at the 2026 World Cup was confirmed before they kicked a ball, due to Bolivia’s draw with Uruguay in an earlier kick-off, but the Albiceleste made sure they would be heading to the tournament in style by brushing old rivals Brazil aside with a comprehensive 4-1 home win.

Fernandez, featuring as a striker for Argentina in this match, put his side two goals ahead 12 minutes in with a confident strike inside the box, then provided the cross for Alexis Mac Allister to get their third before half-time.

Defending world champions Argentina never looked back, as they became the first South American side to seal their qualification, joining Japan, New Zealand, Iran and the host nations Canada, Mexico and the USA in being assured of a place at the next World Cup.

Estevao, who will join Chelsea after his 18th birthday, was an unused substitute for Brazil, who dropped down to fourth in the table but remain on course for a spot at the World Cup, with the top six teams in South America qualifying automatically.

Another beneficiary of that result were Ecuador, after Moises Caicedo captained them to a 0-0 draw away at Chile. Combined with their win over Venezuela last week and Brazil’s loss, that leaves Ecuador second in the table and well placed to qualify, despite starting the campaign with a three-point deduction.

There was little in the way of goalmouth action as they earned this point in Chile, although Ecuador did have a goal ruled out by VAR, but it was a result which benefited Caicedo and Ecuador far more than their opponents. Kendry Paez, another who will join the Blues after turning 18, was among the Ecuador substitutes.