Alejandro Gomez scores the opening goal and gives Argentina the lead against Paraguay in Tuesday’s Copa America clash. – Getty Images
Welcome to Sports Star Highlights of the Group A Copa America game between Argentina and Paraguay at the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha in Brasilia.
Papu Gomez’s goal in 10th Minute makes the difference, because Argentina defeated Paraguay 1-0 and secured their place in the knockout round. The win, Argentina’s second trot, brings the team one step closer to winning their 15th Copa America title. This is also the first time in five games that Paraguay lost to Argentina.
Argentina, now unbeaten in 16 games, looked sharp in places, but didn’t really dominate the game. The early goal gave the team an advantage, but Paraguay played really well to stay in the competition and came close several times, but largely failed on the goalkeeper.
Scaloni will not mind the somewhat unremarkable performance of his team because with Argentina are three points at the top of Group A. Paraguay, who have only played two games, still have a good chance of making it to the round of 16.
90 3 ‘Messi hits the goal, but Silva can equalize. Argentina did really well, keeping the ball in the Paraguayan half and leaving no room for the opponent to attack.
90 2 ‘Argentina seem to be holding the ball and sinking the clock. The Argentines won two free kicks in just as many minutes.
89 ‘With a win today, Argentina are at the top of Group A with seven points from three games. The win would seal the team’s ticket for the knockout phase. Paraguay will stay third if they lose.
87 ‘What a run for Tagliafico! He skips one defender at a time and drills a flat flank that is cleared for a corner. Paraguay make two substitutions, Carlos Espinola replaces Angel Romero while Gabriel Avalos is substituted for Braian Samudio.
83 ‘Messi shoots from distance but Silva makes an easy save. Seven minutes of regular playing time left. Do we have a late goal in mind?
81 ‘Double substitution for Argentina – Di Maria and Paredes make way for Angel Correa and Nicolas Dominguez.
79′ Di Maria and Messi are successful again. Di Maria drops one shoulder and cuts his left to lay for Messi. The Barca icon takes a touch and looks like she’d like to shoot but the ball is taken away. Messi doesn’t have a real shot on goal today.
77 ‘Angel Romero takes a free kick but he’s weak. He can’t beat the wall and the chance of a set piece is begging.
76 ‘Now Paraguay have a great chance. Avalos is fouled by Cristian Romero and receives a free kick right on the edge of the box.
74 ‘Similar to the first half, the game was a bit bumpy in the final minutes. Loose fouls all around have disturbed the flow of the game and neither side has developed a chance for some time.
72 ‘Second substitution for Argentina – Rodrigo De Paul replaces the goalscorer Papu Gomez. The 27-year-old Udinese midfielder has been heavily linked to a possible move to La Liga champions Atletico Madrid.
69 ‘That looks painful! Cristian Romero and Gustavo Gomez vie for a header, and Gomez rattles Romero in the back while he’s in the air. Romero goes down and receives medical attention.
65 ‘Paraguay makes two changes: Oscar Romero and Angel Lucena replace Alejandro Romero and Andres Cubas, respectively.
62′ Molina wins the round of the match between Alimron and Molina. Almiron charges into the box and cuts into it, while Molina makes up ground and clears the danger with a decent challenge.
60 ‘For Paraguay, Paraguay is accelerated with a free kick from the left. Romero takes it and tries to curl in the direction of the far corner on the goal, but he lacks the pace. Martinez collects it with ease.
59 ‘First change of game – Agüero, who is playing his 99th game for Argentina, makes way for Joaquin Correa.
57′ Paraguay is under a lot of pressure as the team wins four corners in quick succession. All were taken short, but none brought a shot on target.
55 ‘Messi should be spared for today’s game. He reportedly spoke to Scaloni yesterday and they agreed to let him sit this game so he could stay fresh for the round of 16. Well, this plan has clearly not been realized.
# CopaAmérica @Argentina está venciendo 1-0 a la @Albirroja por el Grupo A de la CONMEBOL # CopaAmérica y esto fue lo mejor del prime tiempo Argentina Paraguay #VibraElContinental #VibraOContinent pic.twitter.com/51qkisnMau
52 ‘Almiron has resumed his duties on the left and continues to impress with his pace. He’s done a couple of decent runs, but hasn’t had a chance yet.
49 ‘Argentina gets a free kick from the right with skillful footwork. Paredes and Messi seem interested. Paredes plays it briefly to Messi and he floats it into the box, but without success.
48 ‘Good chance for Paraguay as left-back Arzamendia blocks a shot from 20 meters and blocks Martinez.
47′ Paraguay have never defeated Argentina in 25 attempts in the Copa America. Can La Albirroja write a piece of history today?
HALF TIME! Argentina lead 1-0 into the break thanks to a goal from Papu Gomez in the 10th minute. Lionel Scaloni’s side started the game on the front foot and scored the all-important early goal, but Paraguay have done remarkably well in keeping the pressure on Argentina. Paraguay haven’t had too many clear chances so far, but have increased their stakes in attack. Argentina, on the other hand, had some good chances and was even denied a goal and will try to extend their lead in the second 45.
45 1 ‘TOOAAAAL! Papu Gomez’s cross from the right is turned into the net by Paraguay’s defender Alonso and Argentina leads 2-0! Papu Gomez’s cross from the right is turned into the net by Paraguay’s defender Alonso, but a VAR check has determined the goal won’t hold as Messi was offside when Di Maria made the first shot.
44 ‘Almiron (Molina) has a chance. The fight between Almiron and Molina continues!
42 ‘Messi charges forward, finds Agüero on his right side and receives a back pass in the penalty area, but is unable to pull the trigger. The Paraguayan defense did well to stay close and to offer Messi little or no space in the penalty area.
40 ‘What a brilliant run by Di Maria! Argentina attacked the counterattack when Gomez released Di Maria via the left channel. Di Maria cuts inward and rushes in the middle before being chopped down by Alonso. Di Maria rolls back the years at his rapid pace.
38 ‘Messi runs out of the middle of the field and passes three defenders, but loses the ball on the edge of the box. Messi has only had one shot so far, which came from a free kick he took in the 18th minute.
37 ‘Almiron is a thorn in the side of the Argentine defense. His fiery pace on the left makes him a difficult client and Molina has been very vigilant to keep Almiron at bay.
34 ‘Paredes is very lucky to stay on the pitch. He makes a poorly timed sliding tackle from behind and turns off Avalos. The referee takes advantage of what Paraguay doesn’t really benefit from, much to their fear. The referee shows Paredes the yellow card, but it could have been red. Paraguay is putting pressure on the now nervous Argentine defense.
31 ‘Naughty game by Di Maria! He works his way down the right channel and plays with a torn heel on the path of an onrushing Molina, but the ball rolls out of play. Di Maria has been fantastic so far on the right and was promoted to Argentina.
29 ‘Cross from the right for Avalos from Espinola, but Paraguay does not get the ball. It goes away for a corner kick.
25′ It were a dodgy couple of minutes with tackles crunching on either side of the pitch, disrupting the flow of the game. Tagliafico is very lucky as he makes a tough two-leg tackle against Almiron who keeps his cards in his pocket.
22 ‘Argentina’s early goal looked like the team would dominate the half but Paraguay do a good job done to gain a foothold here. Argentina has yet to really be tested, but Paraguay is keeping the Argentine defense busy.
19 ‘Good work on the right gives Romero a good chance. A shot from the penalty area is blocked by an Argentine defender.
18 ‘Just wide of the post! Messi is aiming for power in the lower right corner but just barely misses the mark. Messi scored a stunning free kick in the 1-1 draw against Chile.
16 ‘Free kick from dangerous position for Argentina. Agüero is brought down on the edge of the box by Gustavo Gomez, who is booked as the first player today. No prizes to guess, Messi will take the free kick.
14 ‘Some early dramas here. Avalos gets his foot in the way to block Martinez’s dropkick and the Argentines are furious. They want Avalos to be booked, but the referee thinks differently.
11 ‘Alejandro Dario Gomez, better known as Papu Gomez, scored his previous goal in a 6-0 win over Singapore in 2017.
# CopaAmérica ¡Golazo albiceleste! Ángel Di María lo habilitó y el Papu Gómez definió con gran calidad para el 1-0 de @Argentina sobre la @AlbirrojaArgentina Paraguay # VibraElContinental #VibraOContinent pic.twitter.com/VcKUq9CUso
10 ‘GOMEZ ARRIVAL 1: 0 ! The 33-year-old scores his second goal for Argentina in his sixth international match to put his side in the lead. Di Maria provides the template as he plays a splendid weighted pass for Gomez in the box, which cleverly exemplifies him on the Paraguayan goalkeeper. The early goal put Argentina firmly in the driver’s seat.
7 ‘Agüero missed a unique opportunity! A defensive mix-up between two Paraguayan defenders in the penalty area ensures that the ball falls in a friendly manner for Agüero, with only the goalkeeper to be hit. Agüero takes the shot on the turn but can only find the tip of the net.
6 ‘Gomezzzzzzz! He fires an evasive left foot from the edge of the box, but he sails just over the bar. Good start from Argentina.
3 ‘Paraguay have avoided defeat in the last four meetings between these two teams. Can La Albirroja do five out of five today?
1 ‘Fantastic move right from the start. Di Maria cuts in from the right and plays for Messi in the penalty area, but his first touch is a bit too heavy.
05:29: The players are on the field – Argentina wears their traditional blue and white stripes, while Paraguay appears in red and blue jerseys. Before kick-off, the teams observe a minute’s silence.
5:25 am: Lionel Messi has won everything with Barcelona in a decorated career. To win a title with Argentina remains one of his greatest ambitions. Can he get one step closer to that dream today?
Messi seeks Copa America for « greatest dream » with Argentina
5:20 am: Did you know? Argentina is currently unbeaten in 15 games since it lost in the semi-finals of the last Copa America in 2019.
5:15 a.m.: Argentina’s coach Lionel Scaloni left the team with a rather changed line-up, which on Saturday Uruguay 1 : Had defeated 0. He makes six changes as players like Sergio Agüero and Angel di Maria start a much-won game for the Argentines.
Lionel Messi’s Argentine is looking for his second Copa America 2021 win if he’s in the group today A plays against Paraguay. This is how the two teams line up:
Argentina starting XI: Martinez; Molina Lucero, Romero, Tagliafico, Pezzella; Paredes, Rodriguez, Gomez, Messi, Agüero, Di Maria.
Paraguay Starting XI: Silva; Arzamendia, Alonso, Gomez, Espinola; Piris da Motta, A Cuban; Romero, Almiron, Romero Gamarra; Avalos
Copa America 2021 schedule: full list of matches, kick-off time in IST, venues where you can watch live matches
You can follow the Copa America 2021 LIVE in India on the Sony Ten and Sony Six channels. You can also stream live the Copa America 2021 in India on SonyLiv and JioTV.
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