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A first-half strike by Guido Rodriguez was enough to give Argentina a narrow 1-0 victory over neighbors Uruguay in Group A of the ongoing Copa America 2021 tournament.
This was Uruguay's first game in the competition while Argentina were held to a 1-1 draw by Chile on matchday one.
Coach Lionel Scaloni made four changes to the side that played against Chile and it was one of the new starters that broke the deadlock in the 13th minute.
Edinson Cavani returned from his suspension to lead the line alongside long-term strike partner Luis Suarez. Uruguay is probably the only major international team that still uses a traditional two-man attack.
Other established players of quality in the Uruguay team that took on Argentina included Diego Godin, Jose Gimenez, Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Marcus Acuna and then Lionel Messi forced Fernando Muslera into early saves in the game with a rebound from the latter's shot falling to Lautaro Martinez. However, the Inter Milan striker was unable to sort his feet from just six yards out.
Argentina broke the deadlock soon after. A short corner kick routine allowed Messi time and space on the left wing and he sent a delightful cross to the backpost that was converted by Rodriguez.
There were loud shouts from Uruguay when Cavani went down in the box, seemingly under contact, in the 27th minute but match referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio was uninterested and waved play on. VAR checked into the event but the decision was not overturned.
The second half saw both sides take a cautious approach and lacked the explosiveness of the first half. Uruguay were terrible in the final third and failed to muster any form of cohesion in attack to threaten the Argentina goal.
The victory moves Los Albiceleste up to four points in the group and puts them in prime position to qualify for the knockout stages.
Here are the hits and flops from the game.
Guido Rodriguez (Argentina) - Hit
Guido Rodriguez was handed a start by Lionel Scaloni at the expense of Leandro Paredes and the Real Betis midfielder rewarded his manager's faith with the solitary goal of the match.
He created the first chance of the game when he teed up Acuna to shoot at goal before breaking the deadlock with an excellently-timed header soon after.
The 27-year-old showed great anticipation and strength to meet Messi's cross at the backpost to score his first international goal at the 11th time of asking.
Rodriguez played his role to perfection for the rest of the game and flourished in his position in shielding the Argentina defense.
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Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani (Uruguay) - Flops
As already indicated, the duo are one of just a handful of two-man attacks on the international scene and they vastly complement one another with their contrasting yet deadly styles of play.
However, they failed to apply themselves against Argentina and were largely on the peripheries throughout. This was more of an indictment on Uruguay's midfield, which failed to offer enough creativity for their star forwards.
However, hopes were higher from the two world-class attackers and the fact that Uruguay failed to register a single shot on target in 90 minutes did not paint the strikers in a good light.
Edinson Cavani showed his technique on occasion and his impressive one-touch passing and spatial awareness helped create gaps in what was an otherwise impenetrable, Argentine backline.
However, the Manchester United man's ill-advised decision to go down under zero contact in the first half when he would otherwise have been in a good shooting position did not do him any favors.
Also Read: Jim Beglin's column - Euro 2020: 5 players who could impress in unfamiliar positions
Lionel Messi (Argentina) - Hit
Despite not getting on the scoresheet for Argentina, Lionel Messi was once again at the heart of everything solid that the two-time world champions created in attack.
The Barcelona talisman forced Muslera into an early save in only the sixth minute and Lautaro Martinez might have converted the rebound on another day.
This set the tone for what was to follow and Messi proved to be a handful for the Uruguay defense for the rest of the game.
The Argentina captain constantly dropped deep to influence proceedings and he always brought the attention of a couple of defenders with him, leaving space behind for his teammates to exploit.
Messi's ingenuity down the left flank allowed him to assist the match-winning goal and there were also several other instances of him playing teammates behind the Uruguay defense.
His dribbling and close control also helped him ease the tempo of the game to suit Argentina's demands as Uruguay tried to up the ante to force an equalizer in the second half.
Rodrigo Bentancur (Uruguay) - Flop
Rodrigo Bentancur was partly at fault for Argentina's opening goal, as he was not strong enough in his challenge on Rodriguez after the cross came in. The Juventus man made a half-hearted appeal to the referee for a foul in the build-up but his plea fell on deaf ears.
Bentancur was also overrun in midfield by the likes of Giovani Lo Celso and Rodrigo De Paul in the first half of the game. It came as no major surprise when the 23-year-old was brought off at halftime to be replaced by Nahitan Nandez.
Also Read: Six greatest players who never received an international cap
Marco Acuna (Argentina) - Hit
Lionel Scaloni is spoiled for choice in the left-back position and has alternated between the equally impressive duo of Nicolas Tagliafico and Marcus Acuna.
The Ajax man started the first game against Chile but was dropped to the bench for the Sevilla left-back against Uruguay.
Acuna put in another fine display on the left flank of defense and helped provide width for Argentina in attack with his bombarding runs forward.
The former Sporting Lisbon man was not afraid to shoot at goal whenever he got the opportunity and his combination with Messi down the left proved problematic for their opponents.
