Argentina maintained their impressive record in qualifying games after a 1-0 narrow win over Uruguay, who they thrashed in the reverse fixture last month.
The home side worked hard throughout the game but Argentina’s organised defence rebuffed their chances.
Argentina drew first blood seven minutes into the game after Angel Di Maria scored a brilliant goal.
Lionel Messi came off the bench in the final quarter but didn’t have much to do, as La Albiceleste successfully held on to the 1-0 lead.
Lionel Scaloni’s men also extended their unbeaten run to 26 games and they will face Brazil next week.
Di Maria steps up in the absence of Messi
Argentine skipper Messi started on the bench due to fitness reasons, which kept him out of action for the last few weeks. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner put on a terrific display when Argentina thrashed Uruguayan last month. Today, Di Maria rose to the occasion in the absence of his PSG teammate. The 33-year-old scored a belter of a goal early on in the game after being fed by Paulo Dybala. Di Maria curled in a shot from a difficult angle which caught the goalkeeper by surprise. Di Maria continues to prove his worth in bigger games as he did in the Copa America finals against Brazil. He also scored the late winner for Les Parisiens in the victory over Lille in Ligue 1 a few weeks ago.
Emiliano Martinez with some key saves
Emiliano Martinez kept his cool despite Uruguayan taking the game to Argentina’s defence today. The Aston Villa goalkeeper denied Luis Suarez and Matias Vecino’s shots in the first half and also made a few saves to keep the hosts at bay. Martinez also got help from his fellow defenders, who were impressive today. He also recorded his fifth consecutive clean sheet for Argentina in the process.
Lack of end product from Uruguay’s attack
Despite showing much intent, the Uruguayan forwards lacked the end product in the final third. It has been their pressing issue in their last few games and they need to address it before they take on Bolivia. Oscar Tabarez’s side are now winless in their last four games and also suffered big defeats against Brazil and Argentina in the process. They are sixth in the qualification table, sharing the same points (16) as Chile and Colombia.
