Chicago Fire midfielder Gastón Giménez was back in action for the Paraguay Men's National Team on Thursday night, starting and playing 86 minutes in a 1-1 World Cup Qualifying draw against Lionel Messi and Argentina.
San Lorenzo's Ángel Romero opened scoring for Paraguay 21 minutes into the match on a penalty, before Stuttgart's Nicolás González equalized for Argentina in the 42nd minute. With the result, Giménez and Paraguay move into fourth place in the CONMEBOL standings with five points (1-0-2) through three matches played. Argentina are currently atop the standings with seven points (2-0-1).
Giménez played nearly the full match in what was his third cap for Paraguay, after previously representing Argentina on the international level. The 29-year-old completed a one-time change of federation through FIFA earlier this summer after making a single appearance for Argentina in 2018.
The start was also his third-straight after making his debut for La Albirroja in CONMEBOL's last round of World Cup Qualifying on Oct. 8. He went on to score his first international goal five days later, providing the game-winner in Paraguay's 1-0 win over Venezuela on Oct. 13.
Paraguay will next return home to host Bolivia on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 5:00 p.m. CT at Estadio Defensores del Chaco.
