With a guaranteed place in the next round, Argentina faced Peru without Messi playing and still easily defeated their opponent 2-0 and secured the top spot in Group A of Copa America 2024.
By quickly passing the group stage, Messi was only a substitute in the match against Peru. Argentina’s starting lineup is almost the B squad but still appears to be dominant in terms of playing style against the opponent.
In the first half, Argentina’s opportunities came from dead balls with free kicks and crosses from Di Maria, but were all blocked by goalkeeper Gallese.
The Peruvian goalkeeper even blocked a long-range shot from Di Maria in the 41st minute and miraculously blocked Lo Celso’s shot 3 minutes later.
When the second half returned, Argentina deployed attacking situations in the middle. Just 2 minutes after the ball rolled, Lautaro Martinez scored the opening goal from Di Maria’s one-touch pass.
Leading with excitement, the defending champions of the tournament attacked in search of a goal to double the gap. In the 72nd minute, from the 11m penalty spot, Leandro Paredes missed a delicious opportunity.
In the 86th minute, Lautaro handled the ball mischievously, gently pushing the Peruvian defender in a high ball fight before hitting the ball to defeat Gallese in the face-off.
Completing his double, the 26-year-old helped Argentina secure a 2-0 victory over Peru and lead Group A with 3 wins, reaching the Copa America quarter-finals.
In the remaining match, Canada drew 0-0 with Chile to maintain second place in the group with 4 points and win the remaining ticket to the knockout round. Chile is behind with 2 points and Peru is at the bottom with 1 point.
