31 minutes, 2 goals. What more could you ask for from a striker? A great performance for someone who has only come off the bench in 2 consecutive matches. And that is the fear of Lautaro Martinez.
In the recent match against Chile , Argentina faced numerous difficulties against the “defensive” and “tough” style of play of their opponents. Messi was “deadly” marked by at least 2 people with the most brutal tackles possible.
Other Argentine strikers such as Julian Alvarez, Nico Gonzalez, Rodrigo de Paul and Alexis Mac Allister were also helpless against Chile’s tight defense.
It was only when Lautaro entered the field that the situation changed. In the 73rd minute, the Inter Milan striker was used by coach Lionel Scaloni to replace a rather lackluster Julian Alvarez. And after just 15 minutes, he spoke up.
In the 88th minute, from a chaotic situation in front of the Chilean goal, Lautaro Martinez quickly and decisively scored to open the score. Although his emotions were suppressed for a few minutes for the referee to check VAR, the goal was still recognized in the end. And Lautaro celebrated like crazy.
This is the second consecutive match he has entered the field and scored for Argentina. In the opening match against Canada, Lautaro was also on the bench and only entered the field in the 76th minute. Twelve minutes later, the striker scored to make it 2-0 for Albiceleste.
While captain Messi has yet to score a single goal despite playing the entire two matches, Lautaro only needed 31 minutes to score two goals.
Of course, Messi, even without scoring, still contributes greatly to Argentina’s style of play. But he has just turned 37 and is no longer in good shape to constantly transform into Argentina’s hero. It is time for the Albiceleste to need someone to share the burden with La Pulga. And that is Lautaro.
Remember that in the 2023/24 season, Lautaro scored 27 goals in 44 matches in all competitions for Inter Milan. Of which, he scored 24 goals in Serie A and won the tournament’s top scorer title. With the 2 goals he just scored, Lautaro is also currently leading the list of top scorers at Copa America 2024.
At 26, Lautaro is at the peak of his career and this is the best time for him to gradually take on the role of Argentina’s savior in place of Messi.
