Argentina, winner of Paraguay (1-0), qualified Monday night for the quarter-finals of the Copa America, very slowly, including for Lionel Messi, the day he equaled the national selection record.
A strike of Sergio “When“Aguero in pivot above the bar (8th), then especially a goal from Alejandro “Papu” Gomez, a little dive after a nice assist fromAngel Di Maria (10th), started the match… immediately closed, since almost nothing happened then, even if Paraguay dominated the debates.
This short victory is in any case sufficient to guarantee Argentina (7 points in Group A) a place in the quarters, like Chile shortly before (1-1 against Uruguay). Not really a feat, since four out of five teams from each pool switch to this first knockout round.
Messi, who debuted for the national team on August 16, 2005, honored his 147th appearance in the blue and white jersey on Monday, tying the national record of Javier Mascherano, the “Little boss“retired last year and who was his teammate in Barcelona (2010-2018). The six-time Ballon d’Or already holds the record for national goals (73).
But this new historic mark for the Argentine captain contrasted in a surprising way with the transparency of his performance on the ground of Brasilia.
In the Nacional Mané Garrincha stadium in the Brazilian capital, the N.10 of the Albiceleste was very ordinary in the game, unlike Di Maria, the only attacking player to try to give some relief to the team.
Messi was perhaps in a form of physical management, he who turns 34 on Thursday and still dreams of winning his first major title with the selection, after losing four finals, in the 2007, 2015 and 2016 editions of the Copa America, and in the World Cup 2014. And it’s been 28 years that the Albiceleste has been weaned from titles.
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