Argentina booked their ticket to the Copa America 2024 quarter-finals thanks to late game heroics from Lautaro Martinez that propelled his side past Chile.
After cruising past Canada in their first match of the tournament, Argentina faced off with the side that beat them in back-to-back Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016. Lionel Scaloni made three changes to his starting XI tonight, inserting Nicolas Tagliafico, Enzo Fernandez, and Nico Gonzalez into the mix against Chile at MetLife Stadium.
How the game unfolded
As expected, Argentina had Chile pinned back essentially from kickoff and never spent more than a few minutes without the ball at their feet. Despite their dominance in possession, though, the reigning Copa America champions only had half-chances in the first 30 minutes of the match. Hard tackles from Chile, multiple injury stoppages for both sides, and plenty of whistles made for a disjointed first half.
Argentina’s first great look at goal came from none other than Lionel Messi in the 36th minute. The Inter Miami man released a pinpoint strike from 25 yards out that kissed the right post before going wide. Claudio Bravo was out of position, and had Messi’s shot been a few inches to the left, Argentina would have went into halftime up 1-0. Instead, both sides were goalless at the half, and Chile did not record a single shot.
Chile started the second half with much more intensity than they showed in the first. La Roja had several decent spells of possession, but they relied too heavily on long balls that were often inaccurate. Argentina, meanwhile, never looked like they were on the back foot. In fact, they were denied by the woodwork again as Gonzalez unleashed a left-footed rocket just inside the box that hit the crossbar in the 61st minute.
La Roja finally found themselves pushing forward in the final 25 minutes of the match, forcing save after save from Martinez, including a volley from Echeverria in the 75th minute. Chile’s hard work was to no avail, though, because Lautaro Martinez scored in the 88th minute to seal the game for Argentina. Messi delivered a dangerous ball from the corner that pinballed around the box before falling to the striker for an easy finish.
GK: Emiliano Martínez – 7/10 – Martinez had little to do against Canada and even less against Chile in the first half, but La Roja forced key saves in the second half from the 2022 World Cup Golden Glove winner to keep Chile goalless.
RB: Nahuel Molina – 6/10 – Molina’s defensive presence was not needed tonight against an inferior opponent, but the right-back still found himself engaged in the attack and even forced a save out of Bravo for what could have been the opening goal.
CB: Cristian Romero – 6/10 – Romero and Argentina’s backline were not often tested tonight, but the defender did his job and stifled Chile’s few attempted chances.
CB: Lisandro Martínez – 6/10 – Martinez once again looked sharp next to Romero, keeping a clean sheet and locking down Vargas every time the Chilean threatened to push forward.
LB: Nicolas Tagliafico – 5/10 – Tagliafico had a decent performance tonight in place of Acuna, often creating space down the left flank with his supporting runs, but failed to truly announce himself as the right man for the starting job.
CM: Rodrigo de Paul – 5/10 – Rodrigo de Paul had several uncharacteristic giveaways in the midfield, often being the sole reason Argentina lost possession. The Tottenham man also made a dangerous tackle on Suazo in the first half that surely should have seen him enter the referee’s book.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – 5/10 – After playing zero minutes against Canada, Enzo Fernandez got the start tonight after Paredes took a knock in training. The midfielder looked out of sorts at times and was unable to contribute and control the tempo like he did at the 2022 World Cup. He was subbed off in the 64th minute.
CM: Alexis Mac Allister – 5/10 – Mac Allister recorded an assist against Canada, but the midfielder was fairly unimpressive tonight. He left no lasting impact in the midfield and lacked the creativity Argentina needed to break through Chile’s compact defense.
RW: Lionel Messi – 7/10 – Almost every dangerous ball in the final third for Argentina came from Lionel Messi. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner hit the post in the first half, and provided the perfectly weighted pass to Gonzalez who then hit the crossbar. Messi also received treatment to his groin area on the sideline after a few hard tackles in the first half.
ST: Julián Álvarez – 6/10 – Besides Alvarez’s one decent look at goal in the first half, the Manchester City man was quiet in the final third. He had a decent work rate, though, constantly harassing the Chilean defenders and forcing Bravo to quickly release the ball downfield.
LW: Nico Gonzalez – 7/10 – With Di Maria rested, Gonzalez got another chance to show his manager what he brings to Argentina’s attack. He had a few key moments where he easily bypassed Isla on the left side, and was denied a goal by the crossbar.
Substitutes
Giovanni Lo Celso – 5/10 – Lo Celso played the most minutes of the five substitutes, but failed to have any type of impact on the game.
Lautaro Martinez – 7/10 – Martinez came through with another late goal, breaking the deadlock to give his side all three points.
Angel Di Maria – 6/10 – Di Maria instantly slotted into Argentina’s attack, using his fresh legs to drive at the defenders.
Gonzalo Montiel – 5/10 – Montiel only played seven minutes plus stoppage time, earning a standard five.
Marcos Acuna – 5/10 – Like Montiel, Acuna was not on the pitch long enough to make his presence felt.
Manager
Lionel Scaloni – 6/10 – Scaloni made several changes to his starting XI tonight, but the player that could have impacted the game the most was left on the bench. Julian Alvarez was selected to start up top alongside Messi instead of Lautaro Martinez, and Argentina could not find any success in the final third.
Lautaro Martinez bailed out his manager and his teammates with his winner in the 88th minute, once again proving that he should be on the pitch from kickoff.
