The albiceleste added 29 points and will not be able to be reached by Chile, sixth in the table with 16 units, when four dates remain to be played.
Argentina, although Lionel Messi looked off, achieved this Tuesday the pass to Qatar-2022 World Cup by drawing without goals with the classified and leader Brazil, who he did not have Neymar due to injury, and be favored by Chile’s 0-2 defeat against Ecuador in Santiago.
Argentina added 29 points and it will not be able to be reached by Chile, sixth in the table with 16 units, when 12 units remain to be disputed. The first four go directly to the World Cup. Neither Uruguay, with 16 in the seventh box, can reach him because he must play with the Red on the eighteenth and last date of the tie.
In a gray and locked match, of mutual respect and a strong leg for the South American qualifier, the Albiceleste drew on Tuesday with Brazil, who “he is always a tough opponent”, Commented Messi, goal scorer and captain from Albiceleste.
Before some 25,000 fans present at the Bicentennial stadium in the city of San Juan (west), the meeting was planned as a fight in the midfield with few goal situations by date 14, when Only 12 points remain to be disputed in the series.
“As the games went by, the team was consolidating and we saw that it could be classified”, Affirmed the Argentine DT, Lionel Scaloni.
Brazil is the leader in qualifying with 35 points. Together with Argentina, they are the only undefeated. Both teams have a game pending due to the suspension of the clash in Sao Paulo in September due to the invasion of the field of play by anticovid-19 inspectors.
Pressure, struggle and nerves
Without Neymar, the Verdeamarilla bet to unbalance in attack with the mischief of Raphinha, the fresh irreverence of Vinicius or the firepower of Matheus Cunha. But offensive incursions were rare.
The Argentine hope of breaking through the Brazilian defensive lines was at Messi’s feet, Angel Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez. But Messi looked infatuated in getting rid of the marks and condemned to lose the ball.
The keys to a lackluster match were the closed control and pressure schemes ordered by DT Tite and Scaloni.
It was played on pure nerve, without taking risks, not giving an inch of advantage. And so it was not possible to illuminate anything other than a tangled and gray show.
Asphyxiating the best-endowed tied up Leandro Paredes as much as fred oa Lucas Paquetá. They did not find a free alley or a loophole Rodrigo De Paul is a Fabinho.
The defenses won every duel that arose. So they put bolts so much Christian romero and Nicolas Otamendi What Éder Militao and Marquinhos.
Too little were the medium-distance shots of From Paul, Matheus Cunha and Fred.
Changes without gravitation
Argentina was saved from losing a defender. Otamendi elbowed Raphinha in the face. Neither him Uruguayan referee Andrés Cunha not even the VAR detected it. It was a direct red card.
“It is simply impossible not to see Otamendi’s nudge to Raphinha,” Tite said.
The other central defender, the safest, was lost due to injury. Scaloni had already tried moving the offensive board when entering Lisandro Martínez, Joaquín Correa and Julián Álvarez.
Tite arranged for a tactical change. Brazil went ahead in the block about 20 meters in the field and was uneasy. Income from Antony, Gerson and Gabriel Jesús they tried to break the zero. Nor did they move the ammeter.
Messi was still slow and disconnected. His team is no longer Messi-dependent. But if it’s not on, it shows. He appeared with a single shot to the bow, on the hour. (D)
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