Friday, November 17, 2023, 08:50 | Updated 10:44 a.m.
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Since that unexpected setback against Saudi Arabia in the first game of the World Cup, Argentina had won its next fourteen games. The last goal conceded had been precisely in the final of that World Cup; No one had managed to beat Draw in the four qualifying matches played to date. However, Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay arrived in Buenos Aires wanting to calm down its noisy neighbors. He achieved it thanks to an exercise of solidarity and effort from all his footballers, who went out of their way to make Argentina uncomfortable and were effective in their arrivals. Scaloni’s team once again felt the taste of defeat and Dibu’s streak, a national record, remained unbeaten at 662 minutes.
But, unfortunately, tension once again took over this South American classic. From the toughness of the Uruguayan players it turned to fights and clashes. Especially when the young Manuel Ugarte made a gesture of fellatio to De Paul. Messi saw him and went straight for him. It was the most tense moment of the match and the recent Ballon d’Or winner acknowledged it later at a press conference.
«Against Uruguay it is always like that. I prefer not to say what I think. Young people have to learn to respect from their elders. This classic was always intense, hard, but always with a lot of respect. “They have to learn a little bit.” A clear blow to the team led by Marcelo Bielsa, who, on the other hand, did receive praise from the Argentine star: «You can see his hand in the team. In all the teams or in the clubs in which he was, including Argentina, his hand can be seen.
The former Athletic coach can be considered largely responsible for the historic defeat of the current world champion. Because from the beginning Argentina showed signs of not being comfortable. Their players were unable to chain passes due to intense Uruguayan pressure. The Uruguayan character and Bielsa’s style combine so well that it is surprising that their paths have not met before. Whenever an Argentinian tried to turn, one or two Uruguayan players would jump in his way. The Uruguayans also had stretches in which they played well with the ball, but it is clear that Bielsa’s idea is not as well-oiled in this regard. Their players rushed on too many occasions and did not achieve long possessions.
However, they were able to deploy themselves based on constant unchecking on the last Argentine line, and theirs were the clearest chances of the first half: a one-on-one that Darwin missed and a shot from the front by de la Cruz. The goal came thanks to a mistake by the locals, Molina was confident in the face of pressure from Viña, and the left-handed back scored a good ball for the right-back, Araujo, to cross the ball against Dibu.
The second half was an exercise in resistance for Uruguay. Argentina managed to sink Bielsa’s block a lot, but they defended the front of the area with order, and none of Argentina’s constant attempts to combine in that area were successful. Scaloni shook the bench with players like Di María or Lautaro but his impact was residual. When he could, Uruguay advanced its lines to pressure its rival’s exit, and showed that its players were still physically intact despite the beating. Darwin Nuñez, who had broken down like few forwards in the world, still had the energy to run on a counterattack near the end, stand in front of Dibu and finish under his legs to close the game.
The victory is a huge morale boost for the Uruguayans. Under Bielsa’s orders they have beaten Brazil and Argentina 2-0 consecutively, they are second in the group and the highest scoring team. Once again, the Rosario coach’s ability to achieve such a notable impact in such a short time is surprising. The Uruguay that was seen in the World Cup was a team without ideas, a year later, it exudes ambition on all four sides. For Argentina, the defeat is a wake-up call. Scaloni’s team played a poor game and the team has had no answers to the type of problems that its rival has posed. Next Wednesday he will have another tough test. Maracaná awaits the world champion
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2023-11-17 09:35:06
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