Argentina got rid of the bad memory of MetLife by qualifying this Tuesday for the quarterfinals of the Copa América in the United States-2024 with a 1-0 victory over Chile, which was left in a compromised situation in Group A when the second date.
Lautaro Martínez, in the 88th minute, scored with a strong shot inside the large area the hard-fought goal with which the Albiceleste, world champion and defender of the continental title, achieved its second victory in the key and the pass to the second round.
The MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford – a neighbor of New York – was the scene where Argentina and Messi experienced one of their most painful defeats, in the final of the Copa América Centenario-2016 against Chile, which won the two-time continental championship at that time and caused the resignation of 10 to the Albiceleste but then he returned.
With this result, Argentina leads key A with 6 points, Canada follows with 3, and Chile and Peru are further behind with one unit each.
The third and final date of the zone, scheduled for Saturday, includes the Argentina-Peru matches in Miami and Canada-Chile in Orlando, at the same time (00:00 GMT on Sunday).
– Without vertigo and without depth –
As expected, MetLife Stadium, the home of the Giants and the Jets of the NFL, was dyed blue and white, as happened on Monday in the emblematic Times Square in New York with the now customary albiceleste flag.
Only a few small red bumps stood out in the stands, but enough to boost those led by Ricardo Gareca, well planted in the first half to close Argentina’s passing lanes and isolating Messi from the offensive circuit.
In the midst of a development in which they alternated possession, Argentina was the only one that generated two dangerous situations in the initial stage, a shot by Julián Álvarez at minute 21 that was saved by Claudio Bravo and a mid-distance shot by Messi at 35 that kissed the base of the left post.
The rest of the game was an inconsequential back and forth from one side to the other, with Argentina suffocating the Chilean defensive system although without the speed they had against Canada, and La Roja well shielded at the back, but turning the Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez into another spectator.
– With the cry of ‘El Toro’ –
Argentina took the field with greater vigor to face the second half, and proof of this was Nahuel Molina’s high-speed shot inside the area, at 49, which burned Bravo’s gloves to end in a corner kick.
The world champions quickly took over the opposition’s territory and the order with which Chile defended in the first half began to suffer cracks, as in the 55th minute when Mac Allister almost connected with a high pass from Messi that found Bravo well positioned.
The ‘1’ of La Roja, who against the Albiceleste reached Gary Medel as the second Chilean footballer with the most games played (27 each) in the history of the Copa América, saved his goal again in the 61st minute by saving a shot at close range by Nicolás González.
Although Argentina looked looser and gained depth, Chile managed to give it two scares at 71 and 75 minutes with two shots from Echeverría that Dibu Martínez saved brilliantly in two halves.
The game opened and gained in emotions, and that was how Toro Martínez, substitute for Álvarez at 72, managed to score 1-0 at 88 in the middle of a rush in the area, after Messi’s corner kick was taken. , and with which Argentina closed the match and won the ticket to the quarterfinals.
Cl/ma
THE NATION
