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Argentina suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Uruguay at La Bombonera in their first international outing following Lionel Messi’s retirement.
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Uruguay took control of the encounter through Leonardo Balerdi’s unfortunate 48th-minute own goal and Maximiliano Araújo’s strike five minutes later.
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Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has appealed to fans to exercise patience with the team’s emerging talents, insisting that the young players should not be burdened with the responsibility of immediately filling the void left by Messi’s departure.
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Despite the defeat, Scaloni expressed confidence in Argentina’s ability to remain competitive, highlighting the team’s improved second-half performance.
November 14, (THEWILL) – Argentina began life without Lionel Messi with a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Uruguay in an international friendly at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires on Friday.
The defeat marked Argentina’s first match since Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football in October.
Uruguay took the lead shortly after the restart through an unfortunate own goal by Argentina defender Leonardo Balerdi in the 48th minute.
He diverted the ball into his own net after Lisandro Martinez attempted to clear a dangerous delivery from a Giorgian de Arrascaeta free-kick.
Five minutes later, Uruguay doubled their lead through Maximiliano Araújo when he finished past goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli.
Argentina reduced the deficit through Julian Alvarez in the 73rd minute. finished off a move involving substitute Gianluca Prestianni.
The Atletico Madrid forward missed a glorious chance in stoppage time before Uruguay held on to seal a deserved win.
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has urged the fans to be patientwith his young players following the 2-1 defeat to Uruguay.
He said: “They are young players, and we believe we have to find the right moments for them. We need patience because they are young players who will give everything for this shirt. We cannot expect them to carry the team on their shoulders.
“Beyond the final result, the match leaves us with positive things to analyse. There were good moments, especially in the second half. We knew they would be a difficult opponent, and now we have to keep working.”
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Scaloni also praised his players for their reaction after falling two goals behind.
He added: “I was satisfied with the team’s reaction after going 2-0 down. The team fought back and showed patience. You get to know your teammates and how they move through matches. There were interesting things in the second half.”
Scaloni expressed confidence in the quality of players available to him following Lionel Messi’s retirement.
He concluded: “There is material to continue and represent the way Argentina plays.”
Messi ended his international career with a farewell friendly win over Benin last month, finishing with 207 appearances and 125 goals for Argentina.
Argentina will return to action against Costa Rica in their next friendly match on Wednesday at home in Cordoba.
