Mascherano went all out after the debut of the Under 23 National Team in the Pre-Olympic: "I am going to be responsible for everything that happens"

After the sinuous debut of his team in the

Venezuelan Olympic Qualifiers

with an agonizing 1-1 against Paraguay thanks to the saving appearance of the scorer

Luciano Gondou

, the coach of the

Argentine Under 23 National Team

,

Javier Mascherano

, expressed that "it was important not to lose because of how the game went."

"In the end for us, because of the way the game went, it was important not to lose. Starting off losing in this type of tournament is a big problem, now we have to continue looking for our best level for the next game," said the 39-year-old coach.

Regarding the pressure that falls on the national team after consecration in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mascherano stated that "it is clear that every time the Argentine National Team competes its objective is to fight for the highest and in this case the objective is classification for the Olympic Games".

In that sense, Mascherano redoubled the bet: "

I am going to be responsible for everything that happens

. I like the challenge and I feel supported by the players, which is the most important thing."

"IN A PRE-OLYMPIC, NO GAME IS EASY"

🇦🇷 Javier Mascherano, coach of the Argentine National Team, after the debut in the #Pre-OlympicEnDSPORTS.

🎙️ @fczyz #DSPORTSNoticias pic.twitter.com/6WBGn381zI

— DSports (@DSports) January 22, 2024

Argentina had the initiative against Paraguay and dominated the game.

However, he failed in the final meters and suffered a few defensive setbacks that forced Leandro Brey to show his reflexes.

One of them was in the play that led to Diego Gómez's goal, from a penalty, after a childish infraction by Nicolás Valentini.

"Regarding the match, I think that the analysis, in my view, we were the team that carried the weight of the match and the one that generated the most situations, unfortunately perhaps in that isolated play of the penalty (in favor of Paraguay), which in my opinion It's doubtful, maybe yes or maybe not, but I don't like to talk too much about refereeing either," he said after making a brief analysis of the match.

And he continued: "What I do value, which I told the players, was the search for going through the game until the end. In the first half, the first fifteen or twenty minutes, we generated three or four goal situations that we couldn't convert. Then it became even and in the second half it was difficult for us at first. But the changes refreshed the team and we began to create situations, but the blow from the penalty hit us squarely. I still keep the positive things, as I told the players "said the former River, Barcelona and Liverpool player, among other clubs.

GOAL FROM ARGENTINA!

⚽️🇦🇷 Luciano Gondou and his sense of 9 for the 1-1 against Paraguay on the hour.

🎙️@giraltpablo - @JPVarsky#PreolímpicoEnDSPORTS |

#CONMEBOLPreolympic pic.twitter.com/4gg6TeFhlN

— DSports (@DSports) January 22, 2024

In that sense, Claudio Echeverri, Federico Redondo, Baltasar Rodríguez and Gondou himself valued the income, who rescued a point with his appearance.

"Everyone

is in a position to play. We have that peace of mind.

The solutions that we did not find at the beginning of the game we have to find with the replacements. Today the changes gave us speed in the game," concluded Mascherano.

The Argentina Sub 23 will perform again on Wednesday in Valencia, just over a hundred kilometers from Caracas.

Their rival will be Peru, which leads Group B of the Pre-Olympic after beating Chile 1-0.

Uruguay, which will be directed by Marcelo Bielsa, completes the zone.