Lionel Messi proved he is back to full fitness after scoring both goals in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Peru in their 2026 World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. Messi, who was included in the squad despite having been sidelined in recent weeks with a muscle problem, came on as a substitute in Thursday’s 1-0 win over Paraguay but was on the pitch from the start of the game in Lima.

The 36-year-old put the world champions ahead in the 32nd minute with a superb shot after an assist from Nicolas Gonzalez, and made it 2-0 10 minutes later with a fierce finish from Enzo Fernandez’s pass.

Messi was denied a hat-trick in the second half after he had a goal disallowed for offside following a VAR review. In other qualifiers on Tuesday, Uruguay beat Brazil 2-0 with Neymar forced to leave the field after suffering what appeared to be a serious knee injury. Venezuela cruised past Chile 3-0, Paraguay beat 1-0 Bolivia and Ecuador draw 0-0 against Colombia.