The Argentine national team achieved a valuable victory, albeit with a lackluster performance, against Paraguay, winning 1-0 early Tuesday in the third round of the group stage of the Copa America 2021. Player Alejandro Gómez scored the only goal of the match in the 10th minute.
The Argentine team, which secured a spot in the quarter-finals, leads the group with 7 points (3 matches), while Chile holds second place with 4 points (3 matches), Paraguay is third with 3 points (2 matches), Uruguay is in fourth place with 1 point (2 matches), and Bolivia is at the bottom of the group without any points (2 matches).
As was customary in the current edition of the Copa America 2021, the Argentine team began the match against Paraguay with immense pressure on their opponent's defenses, and in the 10th minute, they got what they wanted with a goal from Alejandro Gómez following a brilliant assist from PSG star Ángel Di María.
After taking the lead, the Argentine team lost momentum and fell back significantly, repeating the pattern they had displayed since the start of the tournament (scoring and then retreating), which invited pressure from Paraguay that threatened the Argentine backline.
By the end of the first half, where Di María excelled with his passes behind the defense that caused significant confusion for Paraguay's backline, Argentina nearly complicated matters for "Los Guaraníes" by scoring a goal in the 41st minute, but the referee disallowed it for offside.
In the second half, the Argentine team appeared dim and underwhelming, but the only bright spot during this period was the continuous activity of Di María, who delivered an exceptional performance, along with the defense, which nearly succeeded in containing Paraguay's attempts.
The "Los Guaraníes" sought to tilt the balance with Newcastle United's star Miguel Almirón, who caused considerable trouble for Argentina's defenders with his constant movement and activity in Argentine territory.
Argentina holds a total of 14 Copa America titles, the last of which was in 1993, while Paraguay has won the title twice, in 1953 and 1979.
