Copa America 2019: Venezuela 0-2 Argentina - 3 talking points 

The second quarterfinal fixture of the ongoing Copa America took place at the Estadio Maracana as Argentina battled it out with Venezuela for a spot in the semifinals.

Lionel Scaloni's men booked their spot in this round courtesy their second-placed finish in Group B, while Venezuela also finished as runners up to Brazil in group A.

In front of a crowd of just over 42,000 spectators, Argentina scaled through, putting in a fine display in a 2-0 victory with goals from Lautaro Martinez and Giovanni Lo Celso setting up a semi-final clash with host Brazil.

In this piece, we shall be highlighting three talking points from the match.

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#1 Lionel Messi is yet to pull his weight

Lionel Messi was extremely quiet throughout the match.

Heading into this tournament, much was made of the fact that at 32, Lionel Messi is yet to taste glory on the international scene with Argentina, having lost four finals and this goes in stark contrast with his trophy haul at Barcelona where he has won every title winnable.

To make matters worse, just before the start of the competition, Lionel Messi's eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo had captained his nation to the maiden edition of the UEFA Nations League which was the second major international trophy he had won in the last three years.

Argentina's form heading into this tournament was far from ideal and the hotchpotch nature of the squad coupled with the inexperience of head coach Lionel Scaloni meant that not much was expected from Los Albiceleste and their hopes rested squarely on the shoulders of their number 10.

However, four matches in and the all-time Argentine record goalscorer is yet to come to the party and has largely struggled to stamp his authority on matches.

Till date, his only contribution has been scoring from the penalty spot to snatch an equalizer in the second group stage match against Paraguay while he went his first two matches in the tournament without creating a chance.

Lionel Messi is arguably the most decisive player in the history of the game and as such, it would be foolhardy to write him off just yet, as the 32-year-old still possesses the key to unlock any defense in the world.

With Argentina having made it as far as the last four, they would be counting on their talisman to step up to the plate in the crunch stages and while Messi has not come to the party yet, it might very well be a case of better late than never for him.

#2 Lautaro Martinez proving his worth to the team

Lautaro Martinez has been vibrant throughout the Copa America

Argentina have been famed for producing a long list of world-class strikers, with legendary center-forwards like Mario Kempes, Gabriel Batistuta, Hernan Crespo, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez to name a few having donned the sky blue and white of Argentina.

The latest in this long line is a player by the name of Lautaro Martinez and despite only making his senior debut just over a year ago, the Inter Milan forward is already proving his mettle in the side.

He made it into the squad at the expense of his more established club teammate Mauro Icardi and judging by his performance at the Copa America, he could very much make the starting berth in central attack his own for the next decade.

He was placed on the bench in Argentina's opening game loss to Colombia, failing to even step on the pitch and this was a mistake that Lionel Scaloni has not repeated since then.

In his first start of the tournament against Paraguay, Martinez was vibrant and lively throughout, hassling the Paraguayan backline and it came as no surprise when a penalty was won off a header by him.

In the next match against Qatar, the Bahia Blanca native went one further showing great composure to open the scoring after just four minutes in an eventual 2-0 win for Argentina to send them through to the next round.

This was a feat he would repeat in the quarter-final fixture against Venezuela, as he showed great instinct to place the ball in the back of the net after just 10 minutes while also testing Wuilker Farinez in the Venezuelan goal on a number of occasions.

At the tender age of 22, Lautaro Martinez has scored six goals from just 10 international appearances and he still has a long way to go before matching the heights reached by some of the names mentioned above. If he is to play a leading role in helping Argentina end their 28-year trophy drought, he would be placed on a pedestal far above those who came before him.

#3 Argentina show teamwork and coordination which has been sorely lacking

Argentina showed great teamwork which had been lacking in previous matches

A little over five days ago, Argentina faced a real threat of suffering the humiliation of a group stage Copa America exit for the first time ever having failed to win either of their first two group stage matches.

Los Albiceleste had been beyond atrocious in those matches against Colombia and Paraguay, showing a great lack of cohesion and teamwork while the inexperienced Lionel Scaloni saw his methods and tactical acumen brought into question.

A 2-0 victory against Qatar was enough to secure their qualification, but even in the victory against the Asian minnows, Argentina were still very shambolic and not many fancied their chances when they came up against better opposition.

However, in the game against Venezuela, Argentina's class shone through, as they showed teamwork and understanding which has been sorely lacking in their play so far in the tournament.

Lautaro Martinez and Sergio Aguero showed great understanding in attack combining brilliantly for the opening goal while they also created a number of other chances for each other.

Elsewhere, Leandro Paredes excelled as the anchorman in midfield while Marcos Acuna offered cutting edge out on the left

Even though they might have huffed and puffed their way through the group stage, Argentina is settling into fine form at the right time and if they are to keep up this level of performance, Lionel Messi could well have his hands on a long overdue international trophy come July 7.