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Argentina eased past Venezuela 3-0 in their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification fixture courtesy of goals from Nico Gonzalez, Angel Di Maria and Lionel Messi.
It was a relatively comfortable win for the Copa America 2021 winners, as they were hardly made to sweat by the visitors. Venezuela had just one shot on target as the hosts dominated the proceedings in this fixture.
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Messi was a lively presence throughout the game and was unlucky not to have picked up a couple of assists in the first half. Despite dominating possession, it took Argentina some time to create good chances and Gonzalez's 35th-minute goal came as a much-needed respite.
As the hosts make it three wins in a row, here we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Argentina extend their unbeaten run to 30 games
The hosts' 3-0 triumph helped extend their unbeaten run across all competitions to 30 games. The Albiceleste have not lost a game since July 2019, when they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Brazil in the Copa America 2019 semi-final.
Despite dominating the midfield in the first-half, they could not churn out too many chances in the first-half and went into the interval only leading 1-0.
Angel Di Maria's addition in the second half provided them with a spark. The Paris Saint-Germain star scored a goal and provided an assist coming on from the bench in the second 45.
#4 Argentina controlled the game for the majority of the match
Despite having already secure a place in the World Cup finals, Lionel Messi and Co. fielded a strong starting XI. As a result, the visiting side were no match for the hosts.
The hosts came out on top in every aspect of the game. They led by 6-1 in shots on target, held 70% possession throughout the game, and had a 91% pass accuracy against 74% posted by the visitors.
It was Venezuela's 10th defeat in their last 12 games and they remain without a win in the World Cup qualifiers against La Albiceleste.
#3 Leandro Paredes and Rodrigo De Paul seem to be the ideal midfield partnership for Argentina
Argentina have struggled to find midfielders who can start behind their impressive attacking lineup for quite some time now. In the game against Venezuela, Lionel Scaloni started Leandro Paredes and Rodrigo De Paul as the two holding midfielders.
The combination worked out very well, as De Paul picked up the assists for the first two goals of the game. He linked up well with the attackers while Paredes effectively shielded the defense and controlled the tempo of the game from a deeper position.
The PSG midfielder had an impressive 95% pass accuracy and also made eight recoveries while also making three interceptions.
#2 Venezuela sat back against Argentina and failed to make an impact in the final third
Venezuela are at the bottom of the standings in the CONMEBOL qualifying standings. So, they weren't the favorites against the hosts. From the get-go, they were on the back foot as the home side took charge in midfield and pushed forward.
La Vinotinto were solid at the back and retained their shape defensively as they denied goalscoring chances to the home side. But they failed to impress with their work-rate in other parts of the pitch.
Josef Martinez had the only shot on target for them in the second half as he failed to connect with a lovely cross from Cristian Casseres. They play Colombia at home on Tuesday and will be looking to wrap up their campaign with a win.
#1 Lionel Messi scores his first international goal of the year
Lionel Messi opened his account with the national team in 2022 as he scored from a miss-kick in the 82nd minute. The 34-year-old was the best player for the home side for the majority of the game, though his PSG teammate Angel Di Maria stole some of his thunder with a brilliant cameo.
Messi completed six dribbles throughout the game and scored a goal to sign off with a brilliant performance in the last home game of the year.
It was his seventh goal of the qualifying campaign and the first one since Argentina's 3-0 win over Uruguay in October 2021.
