With a better image than in the debut, the Argentine Under 23 National Team beat Peru 2-0 and consolidated itself, together with Paraguay, as leader of Group B of the Venezuela Pre-Olympic. Thiago Almada, from a penalty, and Luciano Gondou, when the match was ending, scored the goals for Javier Mascherano’s team, who will have a free date on Saturday.
It is clear that he did not shine and that he has a lot of room for improvement. However, the Argentine team showed several signs of growth compared to the debut against Paraguay. Better circulation, a little more depth, arrival of the midfielders and defensive solidity to avoid surprises were some of the virtues that Argentina exhibited to justify the victory against Peru, which had won in its debut and was leader of the group.
In the first half, Mascherano’s team was able to take the lead. A penalty not taken against Joaquín García and an unusual goal disallowed against Santiago Castro due to a non-existent advanced position were the chances that could not be realized on the scoreboard. But he also had combined actions that motivated good actions by goalkeeper Diego Romero, especially in two opportunities created by Cristian Medina. On the other hand, Peru hardly came close to Brey, who had a much calmer night than against Paraguay.
Beyond the improvement, the national team lacked a little depth. But before the nerves began at the start of the second half, a good maneuver by Barco made it possible to score the opening goal. The ex-Boca winger stole in attack, avoided an opponent and was brought down at the entrance of the area by Álvaro Rojas. Almada, with class, scored the penalty that reduced the anxiety of the Argentine team.
With the management of their midfielders, Argentina maintained control of the game and defended away from their goalkeeper. But since the distance was short, the nerves over a possible tie seemed to take over the Argentine players, who couldn’t quite let go or find a way to end the match. For this reason, just a handful of minutes before the end and with the entry of Gondou, Abiceleste was able to close the result in their best collective play of the match: Redondo and Almada combined so that Baltazar Rodríguez went deep for Nardoni’s run. There the Racing midfielder waited for the arrival of Almada, who made an extra pass for Gondou to seal the match.
In this way, Argentina became the leader of the group along with Paraguay, which earlier starred in an epic victory by beating Uruguay 4-3 after losing 3-1 in the first half. On the next day, Argentina will have a free date, while Paraguay will play against Peru and Uruguay will face Chile.
2024-01-25 03:01:00
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