Lionel Scaloni has not yet given up on Di María’s departure from Argentine selection. After qualifying for the grand final of the America Cupa match that could be the player’s last for the Albiceleste, the coach assured that he will try to convince his athlete to continue defending the country.
“I’m in favor of waiting for him to keep playing, I’m not going to take him out before the national team. The tears are starting to fall, the family, the fans… I need to let him play, then we’ll see if we can convince him to continue. In the meantime, he has to enjoy the moment,” said Scaloni.
At 36 years old, Di María has been one of the key players for the Argentine national team in recent times. He scored the winning goal in the 2021 Copa América against Brazil at the Maracanã, a match that is considered the turning point for the Albiceleste to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he was also one of the protagonists of his team’s campaign.
🏆 #CopaAmerica#DatoAlbiceleste 🇦🇷
👣 Pases: 🇦🇷 478 vs. 453 🇨🇦
✅ Passing effectiveness: 🇦🇷 86% vs. 86% 🇨🇦
⚽ Ball possession: 🇦🇷 52% vs. 48% 🇨🇦
🥅 Remates: 🇦🇷 10 vs. 9 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/YbltYCeaNP— 🇦🇷 Argentina National Team ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) July 10, 2024
Regardless of whether it is Di Maria’s last match for Argentina, Lionel Scaloni and his players will enjoy the victory they achieved on Tuesday in New Jersey. Messi and company will even have an extra day of rest before the Copa America final compared to their future opponent, which will be decided on Wednesday in the duel between Uruguay and Colombia in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“We are one step away from trying to win the Cup and we are taking it step by step, calmly. We will have a few days to rest, we are in a privileged situation, because we will have an extra day, but it is also true that we are physically exhausted and we will rest to play a good game on Sunday”, added Scaloni.
This will be Argentina’s seventh final in the last ten years, including two World Cup finals. So far, La Albiceleste has won three and lost three other finals since 2014.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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