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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.
