▲ The Chilean Alexis Sánchez, who disputes the ball with the Canadian Moïse Bombito, was not fine on offense, as well as none of his teammates and the South Americans left the tournament without scoring a goal. Ap Photo
From the Editorial
La Jornada Newspaper
Sunday, June 30, 2024, p. a10
Without Lionel Messi or several of its starters, Argentina closed a first round without setbacks. The current world champion extended her dominance in the Copa América thanks to her most effective forward, Lautaro Martínez, a fundamental piece in the 2-0 victory against Peru at the Hard Rock stadium in Miami, Florida.
Martínez changed the course of a match in which the Albiceleste dominated, created the best chances, but had bitter moments when it came to finishing in front of goal. The bull He anticipated the Peruvian offside trap and was left alone to define the 1-0 (47); then, near the end, he scored the second in a one-on-one with goalkeeper Pedro Gallese (86).
The lead could have been greater when Argentine full-back Nicolás Tagliafico headed a corner kick to the far post with the help of Giovani Lo Celso. But, in the midst of the celebration, Mexican referee César Arturo Ramos determined an illegal obstruction on Gallese, so he disallowed the goal. That did not stop the Albiceleste’s momentum, which later created another chance to score.
Gonzalo Montiel overflowed on the right wing and caused a hand ball inside the area, which midfielder Leandro Paredes hit the post from the penalty spot. While Messi and Rodrigo de Paul drank coffee on the bench, former footballer Walter Samuel, assistant to the suspended Lionel Scaloni, gave minutes to several elements with less activity; among them, the youth players Alejandro Garnacho and Valentín Carboni –both 19 years old–, although neither made a difference.
Peru, which was forced to win in Miami after a draw and a defeat, was widely surpassed by the current champion of the Cup. From a first half in which it kept a scoreless score and generated some arrivals in the Back Martinez, the Blanquirroja lacked ingenuity and creativity, which sentenced them to last place in Group A without scoring in three matches.
Argentina, meanwhile, moved up to first place with nine points and will face the runner-up in Group B, where Mexico and Ecuador will fight for qualification tonight.
In Orlando, Florida, Canada sealed its ticket to the quarterfinals by drawing 0-0 with Chile, which finished with one man less after the expulsion of Gabriel Suazo in the 27th minute.
The maple leaf team earned four points and was ranked second to the leader Argentina, despite falling in its debut. Like Peru, La Roja said goodbye to the Copa América without scoring goals and with only two draws.
2024-06-30 09:41:48
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