The albicelestes would have taken it to face the World Cup qualifying matches that are played at high altitude
Ecuador and, above all, Bolivia are practically impregnable places due to this circumstance.
Argentina has begun the defense of the World Cup won in Qatar last December with full victories. Lionel Scaloni’s men began the road to the United States, Mexico and Canada by defeating Ecuador at the Monumental thanks to a great goal from a free kick by Leo Messi and this Tuesday night they beat Bolivia 0-3 in La Paz with goals from Enzo Fernández, Nicolás Tagliafico and Nico González.
This victory is extremely important due to where the game is played. The Hernando Siles stadium in La Paz is located at 3,600 meters above sea level, a fact that always makes it difficult for visiting teams to play there and for Bolivia to have an advantage every time it plays a home match. Without going any further, Messi has not yet scored there.
However, now Scaloneta could have found a curious, unexpected ally, Viagra. According to local media, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) would have recommended the use of this medication to, according to experts, “facilitate blood circulation and improve physical performance by reducing fatigue and exhaustion.” This makes it easier for footballers to breathe, since the higher the altitude, the lower the density of oxygen in the air.
This practice is not illegal and therefore can be used in the world of sports without limitations. Argentina has been using it since 2017. It must be remembered that in addition to Bolivia, Ecuador also usually plays its home games at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium in Quito, located at 2,950 meters above sea level. The Ecuadorians in Qatar returned to a World Cup eight years later and in this window they also defeated Uruguay this Tuesday (2-1) with a double from center back Félix Torres.
Altitude is a very important ally to take into account in the South American qualifiers when it comes to qualifying for the world championships. The teams that play at home know this and the visiting teams have to look for solutions to score points there. Well-remembered are, for example, images of players like Ronaldo drowning while running or Leo Messi himself having to retire due to constant vomiting. Viagra could now be the new anti-height miracle.