No Messi, no drawback.
Argentina cruised to the Copa America quarterfinals as Group A winners with a powerful document: three video games, three wins and 9 factors; 5 objectives scored and none conceded.
Their talisman Messi performed no half owing to an higher leg harm, coach Lionel Scaloni watched from the stands as he served a one-match ban and Argentina made 9 modifications from the facet which beat Chile 2-0 on Tuesday.
However irrespective of. Lautaro Martinez scored twice and is the main goalscorer on the competitors with 4 in three video games.
Will we see Argentina again right here for the Copa America closing on July 14?
Felipe Cardenas and Adam Crafton dissect the important thing speaking factors from Exhausting Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens…
What’s subsequent for Argentina?
The defending champions transfer on to Houston and a quarterfinal towards the runner up in Group B — possible Mexico or Ecuador — at NRG Stadium on July 4 at 9:00p.m. ET.
Peru is eradicated from the event.
GO DEEPER
Who has certified for Copa America knockout stage – and who’s out?
Lautaro Martinez, Copa America’s main goalscorer
A permanent reminiscence of the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 issues the travails of Lautaro Martinez, who began the event as Argentina’s No. 9 however was dropped to the bench in favour of Manchester Metropolis’s Julian Alvarez for the third group-stage recreation and didn’t get again into the beginning line-up. Throughout your complete event in Qatar, Martinez didn’t rating a objective.
This, subsequently, has proved to be a redemptive event for him. He has now scored in all three group video games and led the road with authority right here, taking his probability to spherical Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and rating when it got here alongside. After which double his tally in a while.
This was the primary match Martinez has began on this event however he’s the highest scorer within the competitors, after coming off the bench to spherical off the 2-0 win over Canada after which nicking the winner towards Chile late on.
Alvarez, in fact, opened the scoring towards Canada, so he has made an inexpensive begin to the competitors. However has Martinez, who scored 27 objectives for Italian membership Inter Milan final season, supplied meals for thought as Scaloni considers his choices for the knockout rounds? He has scored 9 objectives in 13 Copa America profession matches, in any case.
Adam Crafton
Did Argentina miss Messi?
Tonight was an instance of the standard and depth of this Argentina facet. It’s an skilled group that must get youthful after this event however on Saturday evening Argentina’s rotated beginning XI acquired the job executed. It says every little thing about Argentina’s star high quality when Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez is given a possibility in a match wherein Argentina are already certified. Gonzalo Montiel, the hero of the World Cup closing, slotted in at proper fullback for Nahuel Molina.
Argentina’s midfield was spectacular, as effectively. Bayer Leverkusen’s Exequiel Palacios began alongside Leandro Paredes and Gio Lo Celso. The backline featured veterans German Pezzella and Nicolas Otamendi, and Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho was given his first begin of the event. With Messi watching in his sneakers, Angel Di Maria wore the captain’s armband.
Messi is all the time missed. He can nonetheless create moments of magic and he preoccupies the minds of the opposing defenders. However Di Maria assisted Martinez with an exquisite first-time go after which arrange Argentina’s penalty, even when Paredes hit the submit.
Felipe Cardenas
How did Argentina handle with out Scaloni?
Many bear in mind Walter Samuel for his 20-year profession as a participant, wherein he was thought of one of many world’s greatest central defenders. As a defender with Inter Milan, Samuel was nicknamed Il Muro, The Wall, as an impassable defender for the treble-winning Nerazzurri in 2010. Curiously, he debuted at Newell’s Outdated Boys as Walter Lujan, however he later took the surname of his stepfather. His resumé additionally contains stops at Boca Juniors and Actual Madrid.
Samuel has been an assistant with Argentina since 2018 and has since change into considered one of Scaloni’s most trusted allies. Together with former Argentina internationals Pablo Aimar and Roberto Ayala, Samuel is a part of a braintrust that has change into among the many most revered in South America. Saturday evening’s conflict towards Peru was Samuel’s second stint as an interim supervisor for Scaloni.
In January of 2022, Scaloni needed to miss a World Cup qualifier towards Chile resulting from a constructive Covid-19 take a look at. Samuel stepped in and guided Argentina to a 2-1 win.
Samuel instructed reporters on Friday that Scaloni would arrange the group, however Samuel was lively on the touchline. The timing of his substitutions saved Argentina dominant on the evening.
Felipe Cardenas
Did Manchester United’s Garnacho take his probability?
It was all the time going to be fascinating to see how Garnacho, more and more the attacking pacesetter of Manchester United’s assault, tailored into an setting the place he’s surrounded by much more expertise and arguably considerably much less reliance.
Garnacho solely turns 20 on Monday and the velocity at which United have change into depending on him says as a lot about his personal expertise because it does the underperformance of colleagues together with Marcus Rashford and Antony.
He didn’t get onto the sphere for Argentina’s victories over Canada or Chile however right here he began in a entrance line that included a mixed 200+ caps in Angel Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez. As such, the dynamic of Garnacho’s position, as a promising upstart relatively than a go-to man, is extraordinarily completely different to life at United, the place he not too long ago scored within the FA Cup closing win over Manchester Metropolis.
On this event, Garnacho was neat and tidy sufficient in possession and confirmed an occasional glimpse of his expertise, however along with his solely actual sight of objective he bent a strike over as he sought to pick the far proper nook. He took some tough remedy from Peru defenders, significantly early within the first half, but — as ever — Garnacho was not deterred by the brutality and saved persisting.
Watching Garnacho, a participant who likes to make use of the complete size and width of the pitch to stretch the play and run in behind, is he the type of participant who is likely to be handicapped by the tight dimensions getting used throughout this summer season’s Copa?
GO DEEPER
Why Copa America is being performed on small pitches – and what it means
This look additionally demonstrated as soon as extra that his recreation requires growth when he wants to interrupt down a deep-sitting defence. He lasted 65 minutes and is probably going for use as an impression substitute shifting forwards.
Adam Crafton
What did the managers say?
Peru head coach Jorge Fossati: “I’m aggravated for a couple of causes. However I might begin by saying how I believed the match went. At first I imagine that Peru’s efficiency in the present day was the weakest of all three video games. The stature of our opponent is indeniable, so I need to spotlight that for positive. From a bodily perspective, we performed towards a group that had recovered extra and had one other gear. It was clear we weren’t in our greatest attainable form as a result of the sport towards Canada was very powerful. The warmth in that stadium was very tough for that recreation and the solar hits you arduous. You get no shade anyplace on that pitch. The pressure on our gamers was large. So this, mixed with the standard of Argentina, we couldn’t see by way of our technique to get better or retain the ball. If in case you have no legs, you may’t obtain these items. It felt like we have been all the time one second late.”
Assistant coach for Argentina Walter Samuel: “Right this moment we have now seen many gamers who had not had recreation time. Now we have now used virtually the entire squad. Now comes the subsequent spherical and we have to be prepared. … About Leo (Messi), I mentioned it yesterday. We’re monitoring day after day. We’ll see how he feels, we are going to discuss to the medical doctors. Now we have a number of days forward of us earlier than the sport.”
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(High photograph: Chris Arjoon/AFP by way of Getty Pictures)