June 22, (THEWILL)- At the penultimate fixture for Argentina in Group A of the Copa America, Lionel Messi and his teammates managed a better cohesive performance than previously which saw them earn group leadership as they qualified for the quarter-finals with another 1-0 victory over Paraguay at the Estadio Nacional de Brasilia.
Celebrating the win aside, it turned out to be a historic occasion for Messi. The iconic captain of the team equalled the national team record of former Barcelona team-mate Javier Mascherano by becoming the joint-most capped player of all time for Argentina with 147 appearances.
Beating Paraguay ensured the Albiceleste extended their two-year undefeated streak. The goal came from an Alejandro Gomez strike as early as the 10th minute of play. The Argentines were fortunate for that early lead as Paraguay grew with confidence as the match wore on and La Albiceleste less so.
The goal started with a stunning Messi run that advanced the forward line at pace. He laced the ball through to Angel Di Maria, who perfectly set up Gomez with an incredible low cross in the area and the Sevilla star flicked the ball over Anthony Silva, in the Paraguay goal, to break the deadlock.
Soon after, Messi himself could have added to their advantage with another traditional free kick effort from the edge of the box, his most favourite spot. The kick was sublime and over the wall but it just missed the bottom right corner of the post going over.
There was an own-goal against Paraguay in the first minute of stoppage time for the first half but it was chalked off because the referee, Jesus Valenzuela and the video assistant referee (VAR), believed that when Gomez’s cross down the left flank bounced off Junior Alonso and ended up in the Paraguayan’s own net, Messi was offside and blocking Silva’s vision in the build-up.
The was a more determined play by Paraguay, especially in the second half. But for the resilience of Emiliano Martinez in goal for Argentina, Nahuel Molina, at right back and the centre-backs Christian Moreno and German Pezzella, there could have been some goals on record for Paraguay. Their stunning runs, especially by Miguel Almiron simply lacked the clinical edge to convert to goals.
It was reflected in the statistics as Eduardo Berizzo’s charges only managed two shots on target out of the total of 10 shots they had the opportunity to create. On the other hand, Argentina’s potency faded and there was not a single goalscoring threat in the entirety of the second half.
It was not too problematic for Albiceleste coach, Lionel Scaloni, who will be consoled by the defensive performance which earned the team another consecutive clean sheet. Scolari’s worry turns to the need to rest certain players especially now that they had guaranteed progress to the next rounds.
He had initially considered resting Messi but the Barca star was instrumental to the team’s success on the day and his absence may have been disturbing for Argentina given how well Paraguay became in the latter stages of the fixture.
Messi has been one of Argentina’s most active players in their three Copa games so far. The “little magician” has played every minute and as usual never stopped looking for the ball. His 66 touches against Chile in their opener was a team high, as was his joint-high of 78 against Uruguay along with Rodrigo De Paul. Against Paraguay, he was second only to the resilient defender Molina.
The victory over Paraguay in Brasilia took Argentina through to the quarter-finals with a game to spare and Scaloni admitted the time might be right to rest his star man and some others. La Albiceleste top Group A with seven points after winning two out of their first three matches and are two points ahead of second-placed Chile.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
