Hear
Lionel Messi He was present in the victory of the Argentine team against Ecuadorin the first of the two friendlies that the albiceleste plays in the preview of the America Cup of USA. The man from Rosario started as a substitute, and entered midway through the second half. Although he did not have clear chances to convert, he could have done so at the end of the game, but a poor finish by Nicolas Gonzalez He aroused the anger of the number 10 who reproached him for not giving him the pass, when he was alone below the goal.
In a tight match, the team narrowly beat its Ecuadorian counterpart. Was 1-0 in the stadium soldier field from the city of Chicagoin the United States, just over ten days before the debut of the team led by Lionel Scaloni against Canada on June 20 in the Mercedes Benz Stadium from Atlanta, Georgia.
Before Messi came on, the team took the lead in the first half, with a fine finish from Angel Di Maria before the goalkeeper of Ecuador, Hernan Galindez. Cristian “el Cuti” Romero He was the author of the assist that broke the strong Ecuadorian defense and left the Benfica player in a shooting position, who has already announced that this will be his last Copa América.
At 54 minutes into the match, Di María left, and Messi entered. There was a change of captaincy and a fraternal hug between the two most veteran players on the team. Once on the field, La Pulga began to take over the midfield and tried to filter several balls for his teammates, although most of the attempts were blocked by the central duo of Félix Torres and William Joel Pacho Tenorio.
The albiceleste took possession of the ball and completed a global ownership of more than 60%, but at the end of the match Ecuador finished better and with greater pressure in the area it defended Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez.
Despite this, Argentina had a clear goal play at the end of the game. A hit by “Dibu”, followed by a mistake in the rejection of the tricolor backline, left Nico González hand in hand with the goalkeeper. After a quick transfer of almost 20 meters, the Fiorentina attacker tried to finish over Galindez, who masterfully covered the play.
Along with González’s run, Messi sniffed the possibility of converting. Without a mark, facing the goal, and with the goalkeeper focused on stopping González’s shot, the number 10 insistently asked the Argentine player for the pass, who preferred to shoot. After the failure, Messi looked angry. He made a gesture with his arms, with which he reproached the pass that was not and that could have meant the final 2-0 at minute 94′.
Next Friday, the Argentine team will face the Guatemala team in the city of Washington starting at 9 p.m.. It will be the last match before the debut of the current champion in the Copa América.
THE NATION
