[Sport] Lautaro Martínez reappears in place of Messi and the Argentine team defeated Peru 1-0 in the tie against Qatar 2022

[#Wittels-]

The star Lionel Messi could not show off his genius, but the Argentine soccer team had the scoring power of Lautaro Martínez to beat Peru 1-0 on Thursday, which sold its defeat dearly but moved away from the classification to Qatar-2022 World Cup.

Albiceleste's goal was scored with a header by 'El Torito' Martínez in the 43rd minute. La Bicolor lost the opportunity to draw with a penalty kick crashed on the crossbar by Yoshimar Yotún, at 65, at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.

By date 12, Argentina (25 points) was consolidated as an escort for the leader Brazil (28). Both teams have pending the resolution of the match suspended in Sao Paulo due to invasion of the court by anticovid sanitary inspectors.

Peru (11) dropped to ninth place, further away from the standings. The game was played before 35,000 fans, a capacity of 50% due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Peruvian wall
La Bicolor had fought possession of the ball against Albiceleste. The Argentine coach of the Peruvians, Ricardo Gareca, knew that Argentina is not comfortable without the ball.

That is why Christofer Gonzáles, Christian Cueva and Raziel Garcia triangulated in the middle. But he had Gianluca Lapadula only against the world on the offensive. Thus there is no way to produce deep attacks. Hardly lunges.

When the team led by Lionel Scaloni took over the field and the ball, the Inca squad took refuge in the rear. Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso put together their usual serenade of short touches.

As always, the ball had to fall at the feet of Messi, the man who changes the rhythm. The one that puts the fifth gear and breaks the defenses as if they were made of paper.

But Messi was not inspired. It wasn't just her fault. Peru stood up very well in its last trench. Carlos Zambrano and Alexander Callens alternated with a steel marking, with Pedro Aquino and Yoshimar Yotún as Spartans buckled in the Thermopylae Pass to stop the Persian army.

The red and white T-shirts formed a barrier. It looked like the platform of a subway when it was time to enter or leave work. How to get through it?

 

The only gap that can be seen was the one caused by Ángel Di María on the left wing. 'El Fideo' was a nightmare for Jhilmar Lora. Argentina, as is their custom, did not lose patience, although their game was dying from so much hammering without the wall collapsing.

What Argentina shows is sudden scoring power. It was a 2-1 combination that De Paul made for Miguel Trauco with Molina, whose strong cross was nailed headfirst by Martinez into Pedro Gallese's goal.

Peru felt the impact. A draw was not a bad result. A loss would see him lose step toward his goal of snapping at least the playoff spot in the tie.

Burn the ships
There was no other option for the Bicolor which burned some ships. Gambling at the risk of being unprotected. Run the risk of giving space to Messi and company. It could be suicidal, but what other option was left? He advanced the lines en bloc about thirty meters in the field.

The coach of Peru sent Gabriel Costa, Wilder Cartagena and veteran Jefferson Farfán to the field. There were not many cards to play. Old sea wolf, 'La Foquita' launched into the area with the legs blocked by goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.

This time 'Draw' Martínez did not demoralize the auctioneer as he usually does. Yotún and his nerves crashed the penalty on the crossbar. Another blow for Peruvians.

When Messi raised his game, Peru closed the doors again. He was betting on the counterattack. Scaloni has spare weapons and he threw Nicolás González, always threatening, into the field, although Argentina suffered in the end. (D)

 

Link: https://www.eluniverso.com/deportes/futbol/en-vivo-argentina-vs-peru-fecha-12-conmebol-i-eliminatorias-sudamericanas-qatar-2022-nota/