With a Lionel Messi of the great evenings, both scorer and detonator, Argentina defeated Uruguay to wear, Sunday in Buenos Aires (3-0), and consolidates its second place in the South qualifying pool. American at the World Cup-2022.
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Two cruel twists of fate for Uruguay sealed a brisk first half with no less than 10 scoring chances and a post on both sides. Luis Suarez first found the firm hand of Emiliano Martinez (5th, 20th) before seeing the post push back his acrobatic half-volley (27th). Giovani Lo Celso hit the crossbar after dribbling Fernando Muslera (32nd).
Lionel Messi, conductor of Argentinian animation, also sought to be decisive but his instantaneous recovery at 18 m, on a low cross that Lautaro Martinez let pass between his legs, grazed the post (36th ).
But it was unwittingly, on a ball stung from the outside of the left foot to launch Nicolas Gonzalez deep into the box, that Messi deceived the poor Uruguayan goalkeeper surprised by the rebound and the failure of the Argentine striker ( 1-0, 37th).
Uruguay's bad fortune did not end there.
Rodrigo de Paul inherited a blocked center and scored the second goal thanks to the failure of Lautaro Martinez, who missed his volley (43rd).
"
We are improving
"
Edinson Cavani was then called in for reinforcement at the break but it is once again the Argentine attack that illustrated itself under the baton of an omnipresent Messi. It was he who threw De Paul on the right of the area for an instant cross that Martinez took back at the far post for the 3rd goal (62nd). Mass was said but Messi sought to pay his contribution to the Argentine public gathered in the Monumental of Buenos Aires. But neither his curled shot from the left out of frame (80th), nor his recovery of the right foot captured by Muslera (89th) came to reward his investment with the Albiceleste.
"
We play a great game and I think we are still improving
," Messi said after the meeting. “
It was a tough game and we had to win it. Uruguay were entrenched behind to counter us and were very dangerous. Once we scored the first goal, many spaces appeared
”. In the end, the Argentines shot 23 times on goal and found the frame 10 times.
Argentina has 22 points, behind Brazil (28) who drew in Colombia (0-0), and widens the gap on Ecuador and Uruguay, tied with 16 points.
What to make the Uruguayan coach, Oscar Tabarez, somewhat bitter.
To the point of throwing: “
We have to close the sphincters, all of them, and the main one, the mouth.
The only thing we can make a case for is the results we can achieve in the future.
"
