Argentina 1-1 Paraguay
Argentina just about kept their hopes of qualifying for the Copa America knockout stage alive as they salvaged a 1-1 draw against Paraguay.
Lionel Messi scored an equaliser from the penalty spot while goalkeeper Franco Armani saved a Paraguay penalty for La Albiceleste, who once again failed to look like one of the top contenders in the competition as the Copa America 2019 odds pegged them to be.
Despite going winless in their first two matches, all is not lost for the Argentines, who could still qualify for the quarter-finals if they beat Qatar in their final group match. But based on their first two performances, that hardly looks as automatic as one would think heading into the tournament.
Highlights of the game
After Argentina’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to Colombia in their opening match, manager Lionel Scaloni made some big Copa America 2019 news as he shook up his starting XI, particularly the attack.
His most notable change was replacing Sergio Aguero with Lautaro Martinez to partner Messi up front. Roberto Pereyra and Rodrigo De Paul also came in and started out wide while Giovani Lo Celso moved into the middle of midfield.
But despite those changes, the Argentines’ attack didn’t produce many good goalscoring opportunities for most of the first half.
In fact, it was the Paraguayans who had the first sight of goal, which came just before the half-hour mark. Derlis Gonzalez found himself running at the Argentines’ goal, and his deflected shot went just wide.
And on the ensuing corner, the ball was flicked onto the path of centre-back Gustavo Gomez, who was unable to direct the ball on target.
The Argentines’ first notable chance came from a Messi free-kick, but his effort was surprisingly tame and was easily caught by the Paraguay keeper Roberto Fernandez.
Minutes later, Paraguay produced the breakthrough. Newcastle midfielder Miguel Almiron made a brilliant run originating from his own half and delivered a great cross which Richard Sanchez expertly steered into the net.
Argentina went into half-time down 1-0 but found an equaliser early in the second half. Aguero, who came on for Pereyra after the break, set up Martinez, whose effort struck the bar. Messi was on hand to corral the rebound, and his shot on the turn was parried away by Fernandez.
But despite the absence of any protests from the Argentines, VAR came into play to review the incident. And apparently, it had detected a handball from Paraguay defender Ivan Piris as he attempted to contest Martinez’s shot.
The decision was quite harsh considering how little time Piris had to react, but any contact with the arm is seemingly penalised these days. Up stepped Messi to take the kick after the lengthy review, and the Argentine captain made no mistake.
The Paraguayans would be awarded their own penalty just after the hour mark as Nicolas Otamendi brought down Gonzalez. Gonzalez picked himself up to take the kick, but Argentina’s Franco Armani made a brilliant save to deny the Paraguay forward.
Buoyed by Armani’s save, Argentina went out in search of a winner. Martinez had a glorious opportunity as he found space inside the six-yard box, but he sent his header well over.
Paraguay seemingly had a great chance to steal the victory from a free-kick which produced an impressive double-save by Armani. Although, the second effort wouldn’t have counted due to offside, and Argentina went on to preserve a much-needed point.
Key statistics
Despite making significant changes to their starting line-up, Argentina’s attack was once again listless. And based on the statistics, Scolari’s moves made it even worse.
They had just seven total shots against Paraguay, which was down from the 13 they had against a superior opponent in Colombia. Moreover, only two of those seven shots were on target, both care of Messi.
What’s next?
It’s basically a must-win situation for Argentina in their final group match against Qatar. They could still finish second in the group if they win and Paraguay fail to beat Colombia. They could also go through as one of the top two third-placed teams if the Paraguayans do defeat the group leaders.
The SBOBET odds will likely have Argentina priced as overwhelming favourites to pick up all three points against the Asian champions. But Qatar have been surprisingly competitive in their first two matches and given Argentina’s current state, could cause quite a shock.
As for Paraguay, they finish the group stage against Colombia, who have already sealed qualification to the quarter-finals after beating Qatar. The Paraguayans will secure their spot in the next round with a win, but can also progress if they draw or even lose and Qatar and Argentina draw.
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