Argentina thrashed Uruguay in the Río de la Plata classic

The Argentine team won 3-0 in Buenos Aires. Lionel Messi shone again.

Argentine star Lionel Messi, with the lights of his talent on fully, led Argentina this Sunday to a 3-0 win against Uruguay in Buenos Aires, which clears the route to the World Cup in Qatar-2022.

An involuntary goal from Messi when he launched a cross that got into the goal, at 38 minutes, and another from Rodrigo De Paul, at 44, broke the tough defense of La Celeste. Lautaro Martínez increased to 62 at the Monumental stadium before 35,000 fans, with limited capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The truth is that we are growing a lot in the game in possession, in having the ball, in a game that was tough, but we had to win because we were local. Everything was perfect ”, declared the captain of the Albiceleste.

Argentina (22 points) consolidated as an escort for leader Brazil (28). Uruguay (16) remained in fourth place, the last one that grants a direct place. The team led by DT Lionel Scaloni increased its undefeated matches to 24.

At the completion of the triple date on Thursday, the Argentines will play with Peru in Buenos Aires and the Uruguayans with Brazil in Manaus.

Study rounds

Looks are deceiving. It seemed like a very close match, tense, cerebral as if they were playing chess.

(Great game in Barranquilla: Colombia drew against Brazil)

Argentina had possession of the ball and Uruguay was waiting for it with a defensive lock that would have been the envy of that famous lock that had the stamp of Switzerland.

The charrúa line of three defenders was only a tactical deception. It was the last trench on the way to the Fernando Muslera arch, with Sebastián Coates, Ronald Araújo, Diego Godín.

But in the bands there were iron gates, with goalkeepers Nahitán Nández and Matías Viña. The fence in the middle was completed by Federico Valverde, Matías Vecino and Nicolás de la Cruz.

Higher up were Luis Suárez and Brian Rodríguez, but nothing to be isolated. The scheme quickly took the shape of a bandoneon. En bloc they attacked by surprise.

La Albiceleste played her frequent tiki-taka. Slow at the start and with the idea of ​​changing the rhythm at full steam when the ball fell to Messi.

Gio Lo Celso and Rodrigo De Paul were associated with Leandro Paredes in the creation. Lautaro Martínez and Nicolás González launched their diagonals.

Nicolás Tagliafico and Nahuel Molina climbed up the sides, supported in the background by Nicolás Otamendi and Cristian Romero.

Burst emotion

Suddenly, bursts of talent appeared. Suárez had him three times at his mercy to goalkeeper Emiliano 'Dibujos' Martínez. Two of his lashes at point-blank range were conjured by the goalkeeper's reflexes.

Another furious shot from the 'Pistolero' hit a post. The 'Torito' Martínez missed it twice at the door of the other arch. Messi put in one of his magical left-handers but the trajectory found a leg on the way to the net.

The slow, tight and thought of the game turned as if by spell into a feast of emotions. In a match to see him stand up. Gio Lo Celso leaked, eluded Muslera and burst the crossbar from a tight angle.

The first goal was one of those mixtures of chance, distraction, fortune and irony that football has.

Messi put a high pass to the heart of the area at the entrance of Nico González, who when he botched the shot confused the goalkeeper and the defense who saw the ball enter as an apology. Almost a 'blooper'.

In those moments of some bewilderment in the disciplined Uruguayan device, another offensive albiceleste flash appeared. The paradox is that there was another 'blunder', one from Martínez. The ball was served on a tray for De Paul, who scored with a low shot.

The 2-0 was not inexplicable but it could also have been the other way around due to the three shots on goal that Suárez could not celebrate.

Late reaction

The reaction of Uruguayan DT Óscar Tabárez was to send his second weapon of mass destruction, Edinson Cavani, onto the field, among other tactical changes to turn the result around. Maybe it was too late.

(A break for Colombia! Bolvia beat Peru in La Paz)

Messi lit up with his best lights. It was raging within the area. In one of those maneuvers in which he has the ball turned into part of his left boot, he opened towards De Paul and his classic center towards the middle was connected by Martinez with the goal at his disposal.

After his mistake in Messi's goal, Muslera began to be the man who avoided a worse win. The goal cry was drowned out twice by the admitted Ángel Di María. Joaquín Piquerez, Lucas Torreira, Darwin Núñez and Gio González had also entered Uruguay. But it was too late.

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