The Argentine national team won, liked and thrashed. With an overwhelming performance in the last friendly before the Qatar World Cup 2022Lionel Scaloni’s team beat 5 to 0 United Arab Emirates. The goals were scored by Julián Álvarez, Ángel Di María on two occasions, Lionel Messi and Joaquín Correa.
Against a clearly inferior rival, the Argentine team dominated a match that served to add minutes at the team level and to test different tactical variants, such as the formation with five defenders that could be seen in the second half.
With some players touched and others saved as a precaution, Paulo Dybala, Cristian Romero and Alejandro Gómez were not even part of the substitute bench, while Enzo Fernández, Julián Álvarez and Juan Foyth (the latter played the 90′) added even more experience with the selected
As soon as the game started Argentina they had almost absolute control of the ball, recovering as high up the field as possible and associated play between the midfielders and the forwards, accompanied by the full-backs, who often reached the bottom to launch a cross.
Arab Emirates he looked to press and steal the ball from De Paul when he dropped back downfield and found himself with his back to goal. They did the same with Messi when he went down to the middle of the pitch.
As De Paul and Paredes settled in to become team management leaders, Argentina It sped up and they were rarely able to stop it. And at 17 minutes the gale began: when he attacked for the first time Arab Emirates, Nicolás Otamendi recovered and started a quick counterattack with Di María, who looked for Messi long. Leo was hand in hand but left the ball to Álvarez, who comfortably defined the goal for the 1-0.
There the Scaloni team was unleashed, with two great goals from Di María. One magnificent volley after an impeccable past cross from Marcos Acuña, and another after eluding the goalkeeper after an excellent collective action.
At the end of the first half, Messi put the fourth with a work of art after a game that he put together himself and his partners De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister and Fideo Di María. Leo played the 90s, even when it seemed that he was going to only be on the court for a little while.
The selected player changed his scheme and took his foot off the accelerator, although Correa decorated the result with a definition that bounced off a defender, after a through ball from a very good De Paul.
Arab Emirates, with the entry of the nationalized Brazilian Caio, he had several and gave Dibu Martínez a couple of scares (who saved a one-on-one after a mistake by Foyth). There was time for little else, with a surrendered rival and a team that regulated so as not to risk more physically.
The friendlies are over. The next game of Argentina It will be against Saudi Arabia, for Group C of the Qatar World Cup 2022, on Tuesday, November 22 from 7 in the morning of Argentina at the Lusail Stadium. The dream of the World Cup is long again.
The goals of the Argentine National Team against the United Arab Emirates
The minute by minute of Argentina – United Arab Emirates
3′ – Interesting overflow from Acuña on the left and a good pass for De Paul, who searched for Messi in depth. The ball did not reach 10.
10′ – Di María from the right found Messi on the side of the area, but Leo was just pinched.
11′ – De Paul looked for Messi from above in depth. The captain narrowly missed.
12′ – Harib Abdalla escaped to the left at speed, eluded Foyth and finished off. Lisandro Martínez closed and the ball went to the corner kick.
16′ – Di María again from the right with a pass behind the left center back to Messi: Leo finished off from the right with almost no angle and blocked goalkeeper Khalid Eisa without problems.
17′ – GOAL OF ARGENTINA! Nicolás Otamendi recovered just enough in an attack from the United Arab Emirates, he came out quickly and was lethal: Di María looked for Messi, alone and qualified, and Leo left it to Julián Álvarez for a right-footed shot.
25′ – GOAL OF ARGENTINA! Angelito Di María with a crack shot: after Acuña’s cross from the left, Fideo volleyed it and, with a furious shot, smashed it against the post and inside it. Shocking.
36′ – GOAL OF ARGENTINA! Once again Di María, at a spectacular level, with a tremendous goal. She played where everyone touched her, from Dibu Martínez to Noodle. From side to side, Angelito received in the middle of the area, got rid of a rival, then the goalkeeper and defined with an empty goal.
42′ – Great cross from Di María for Messi, who headed in as required and left it in Eisa’s hands.
44′ – GOAL OF ARGENTINA! MESSI! The 10th defined the corner from the right and crossed after getting rid of a rival and after a collective game with De Paul, Di María and Mac Allister. They all move.
45′ – Little scare: a defender of Arab Emirates he stepped on Messi, who got up immediately.
45′ + 1′ – Goalkeeper Eisa blocked Otamendi’s header after a free kick.
45′ – The changes of Argentina: Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Germán Pezzella and Joaquín Correa entered instead of Alexis Mac Allister, Ángel Di María, Marcos Acuña and Nicolás Otamendi. Scaloni tries with a line of 5 in the background, with Foyth as the central marker and Montiel on the right side.
48′ – The United Arab Emirates had it twice: a tremendous shot from Harib Abdalla that hit the crossbar, and moments later Dibu Martínez stopped a strong shot from Abdalla Ramadan that hit the post.
51′ – Another change in Argentina: Julián Álvarez left and Enzo Fernández entered.
52′ – Messi left Molina one on one with the rival goalkeeper, but the full-back failed to define.
59′ – GOAL OF ARGENTINA! Great play by De Paul down the middle, a pass to Joaquín Correa and a definition with a rebound that threw the goalkeeper off balance.
61′ – Good arrival of Arab Emirateswith a shot from Caio that went over the top after a great play by Aldhanhani on the right.
68′ – Almost counted down Arab Emirates, after a great play by Ahmed Abdulla Jamil and a cross behind that Caio deflected. He went just off the right post of Dibu’s goal.
71′ – Messi’s shot that went far, over the crossbar.
75′ – Substitution Argentina: Guido Rodríguez entered and Leandro Paredes left.
81′ – Dibu Martínez with a spectacular save after a mistake by Foyth saved Argentina. On the rebound, Pezzella cleared on the line before Caio’s shot. Another clear double arrival of Arab Emirates.
90′ – End of the match. Argentina thrashed 5 to 0 to United Arab Emirates in the last friendly before the Qatar World Cup 2022.
