The Guaraní team, led by Argentine Eduardo Berizzo, went ahead thanks to a penalty converted by Ángel Romero, 21 minutes into the first half, after a clear infraction by Lucas Martínez Quarta on the skilled Miguel Almirón.
And at the time of greatest uncertainty in Argentina, after the departure of Exequiel Palacios due to injury, Nicolás González, the Stuttgart striker who became a left-back for this match, won with a superb header at the near post off a corner and stamped equality, at 40 minutes.
In the complement, with a slight tendency in favor of Argentina, the Brazilian referee Raphael Klaus was the protagonist along with the VAR officials.
First, by ignoring a clear hand in the Argentine area of defender Nicolás Otamendi, which could have been another penalty for Paraguay. And then after canceling a goal crowned by captain Lionel Messi, because almost a minute before, at the start of the play, there had been an infraction by Nico González on Ángel Romero.
Argentina, which had just beaten Ecuador and Bolivia, remained with seven points in the standings, and remains undefeated before the visit to Peru in Lima, next Tuesday at 9 p.m.
The National Team felt drowned by a Paraguay that went to look for it, covering Messi and leaving the ball to players without much initiative, even Paredes was surrounded in such a way that the local team could never know where their north was.
The first 20 minutes of the Bombonera found an Argentina who searched with Ocampos, searched with the Montiel climbs and with some combination between Messi and De Paul, but all far from Lautaro Martínez, the most advanced man.
Almost always uncomfortable and from the back, Messi or Palacios wanted to give it dynamics, but the pressure from Villasanti and Giménez were the best argument that those led by Eduardo Berizzo found to neutralize any initiative.
Miguel Almirón’s speed warned shortly after the start, but he exploded with everything at 19, when he leaked between the Argentine defense and Martínez Quarta knocked him down in the area. Penalty for Paraguay.
The sanction was executed by Ángel Romero, who with a crack precision left Armani screwed and thus the redhead went 1 to 0 and the story became uphill.
Over shortly after Exequiel Palacios had to leave due to a lack of Ángel Romero and his place was taken by Giovani Lo Celso, who gave him a little more dynamism, joining Messi.
Precisely from a Lo Celso corner came the Argentine goal, when Nicolás González beat Robert Rojas in the jump and left Antonhy Silva standing.
The last minutes of the first half were the best of Argentina, triangulating and looking for options and spaces and from a collective move De Paul took a shot that tested the opponent’s goalkeeper’s reflexes.
In the second half Argentina moved a few meters ahead and Paraguay fell behind and he already made a high pressure as in the beginning, because Paredes and especially Lo Celso, handled the ball in the middle.
With good interventions from Nicolás González on the left and a better recovery on the part of De Paul and Paredes, Messi opted more for the “one against one”, although at times he was somewhat delayed.
Berizzo’s team left some spaces, a bit due to fatigue and another due to Argentine supremacy, and Ángel Romero and Almirón did not gravitate so much.
In an impressive play, all on the left, González yielded to Lo Celso, the former Rosario Central spoke to Messi and the captain beat Silva, in which it was 2-1, but the VAR reversed everything and the referee Raphael Claus annulled the both.
The entry of Di María by Ocampos was a good success for Scaloni, since the PSG man turned on the right and opened the court more.
At 26 Messi caressed the ball and the crossbar and Silva’s hand, they denied him the goal, which at that point in the game he and Argentina already deserved.
A little driven by the need for victory, Argentina went in search of the rival arch with some disorder, leaving too many gaps behind, although at that point Paraguay had no reaction for a counterattack.
At the end Argentina showed a strange, disconcerting and very disorderly image in front of Paraguay’s lock and abused balls that were always neutralized by rivals.
Even Messi lacked efficiency and his free throws were no longer predominant, and Argentina ended up penalizing the tie.
