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Fans were full of praise for Lionel Messi's Argentina teammate Cristian Romero for his spectacular display in their 2-0 win over Canada at Copa America 2024 on Thursday, June 20. The center-back, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur at club level, played a crucial role in helping his side keep a clean sheet.
Even as a center-back, Romero played a pro-active role in helping his side progress the ball further up the pitch and transition from defense to offense. He completed 91 of his 93 passes (97.9%), played seven successful long balls out of eight attempts (87.5%) and made four passes into the final third (via FotMob).
Defensively, his level was unmatched as well. He made three clearances (one headed clearance), one interception, recovered the ball six times, won all six of his ground duels and did not commit a single foul (via FotMob).
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Romero and Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez formed a solid defensive partnership, locking up Canada's offense and restricting them to only two shots on target. After the game, fans took to X to commend the Spurs man on his brilliant display.
@TheEuropeanLad wrote:
"Cristian Romero is just an unbelievable footballer. Would walk into any club's defense with absolutely zero problems, he is the full package."
@Mj_Officialgh added:
"Bro is soo calm under pressure what a player."
Here are some more fan reactions (via X):
"Absolutely unstoppable. Incredible player," wrote @Wizspurs.
"I genuinely think he's the best defender in the world," claimed @Agusnvm.
"Fr [for real] though. He had a very good game," said @CodingPastor.
"He's the closest thing to Sergio Ramos," @samcanpapi analogized Romero to the Real Madrid legend.
"Very underrated CB for sure," said @Ositok31.
"Messi called him the best defender in the world and casuals thought he was tripping," @_FarouqOlami called out the nay-sayers.
"He's a different player for Argentina actually, they all ball their hearts out for Messi," claimed @brucewillip.
"Him and Lisandro [Martinez] prob[ably] one of the best ball playing CB partnerships about," @TheUnitedWay__ noted.
Argentina's media full of praise for Cristian Romero after his performance vs Canada
Media outlets in Argentina were over the moon with Cristian Romero for his outstanding display in La Albiceleste's 2-0 win over Canada at Copa America 2024.
Despite a few hiccups, Romero and center-back partner Lisandro Martinez kept things under control, helping goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez keep a clean sheet. With the score still 1-0 to Argentina late in the game, the Spurs defender even made a potentially goal-saving stop to maintain his side's advantage.
Media outlet TyC Sports named Romero the star of the match and gave him an 8/10 rating. Extolling his performance, they wrote:
"Every time he anticipated, he lifted the stadium. He had a couple of providential saves."
Ole gave the 26-year-old a 7.5/10 and praised the last-ditch clearance, writing:
"Great closure centimeters away from Dibu [Emi Martinez] in the box. Leader and owner of the ball at the back, without attacking."
Up next, Lionel Messi will lead Argentina against two-time champions Chile on June 25 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
