The Argentine National Team closed the FIFA date of friendlies in the United States with a new victory. He beat 3-1 Costa Rica at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles with a great free kick goal from Angel Di Maria and so many of Alexis Mac Allister y Lautaro Martínez, all in the second half.
Far from last Friday’s overwhelming victory against El Salvador in Philadelphia, in this case the world champions had to work to beat the tough Argentine team Gustavo Alfaro, who proposed a strong defensive approach, standing in his own half and waiting to counterattack. And that’s how the Tico team came to take the lead and won at halftime.
Argentina could not penetrate that rocky defensive structure, but in the second half they were going to do it. First Di María scored the tie with a Messi-style goal and then, when spaces began to appear, Mac Allister and Lautaro put in definitive numbers.
Scaloni tested Walter Benítez in goal, put many purely offensive players on the field and gave Valentín Carboni minutes. Tests continue for the Copa América.
Next, the newsletter Clarion after the victory in Los Angeles.
Walter Benitez (5):
He had a half-hearted response in the play for the first goal of the game: he left a long rebound before Álvaro Zamora’s shot with the misfortune that the ball fell to Manfred Ugalde, the scorer of the 1-0. He had previously saved a header from Julio Cascante with a good save. He had no major incidents.
Nahuel Molina (7):
It was one of the best on the night in Los Angeles. It went from lowest to highest. He constantly went on the attack on the right, where the Argentine team turned its game, becoming another attacker. He showed his usual intensity to press and offered himself as an alternative pass for Ángel Di María.
Cristian Romero (6):
The support of the team defensively. Solid as always, Cuti did not suffer down low and gave new proof that he is one of the commanding voices of the Scaloneta. He was not responsible for the goal.
Nicolás Otamendi (5):
He could have opened the scoring in the first half, when he won a header in the rival area after a free kick taken by Di María from the left, but he lacked direction in that shot. Shortly afterwards it was portrayed in the play of the first goal: Ugalde, the scorer of that goal, eluded him in the middle of the field, then ran from behind and, once inside the area, went to the ground, but was unable to avoid the conquest.
Nicolás Tagliafico (5):
The game passed little through the feet of the Olympique de Lyon footballer, limited almost exclusively to his defensive work. Without great saves or saves, he fulfilled in that aspect, but could not get involved offensively.
Alexis Mac Allister (6):
He didn’t play his best game. He was inaccurate in his passes, especially during the first half, but ended up being important for the victory with the 2-1 goal. He found a ball that was comfortable for him to head into the six-yard box and with the goal at his mercy. A few minutes later he was replaced.
Giovani Lo Celso (7):
He was the most advanced of the three midfielders and gave dynamics to the midfield. He was precise in his passes and stepped into the area frequently. He is a fixture for the Copa América.
Enzo Fernández (7):
In a flat first half of the Scaloneta, the Chelsea midfielder was the clearest of all to find spaces in a rocky structure in Costa Rica. He left hand to hand first with Julián Álvarez and then with Garnacho in the first half, while in the second half he was centimeters away from scoring his goal.
Ángel Di María (8):
Captain of the Argentine National Team, he left an author’s left foot for his great goal from a free kick. Angelito made the Argentine fans not miss Leo Messi, absent due to injury. He was unbalancing, both on the right and when he moved towards the center, and with that exquisite execution he earned being the figure of the party. In addition, he participated in the other two goals for the Albiceleste.
Alejandro Garnacho (6):
He was mobile on the left and showed a lot of desire, diving towards the middle to receive when the ball did not reach him, but he did not manage to gravitate like in his last games at Manchester United. He showed glimpses of his talent, but he lacked continuity in the game.
Julián Álvarez (5):
He pressured and bothered the rival defenders as he usually does, but he could not find goal situations to take advantage of the fact that he played as ‘9’ and convert. The performance of the team in the first half did not help him either.
Leandro Paredes (6):
He entered in the second half and gave balance to the Argentine team, which in the first half had played with three midfielders who tend to focus more on the attack. He fulfilled his function. He was going to be a starter, but finally started on the substitute bench.
Lautaro Martínez (6):
He finally took off his mufa. He replaced Garnacho in the second half and on one of the first balls he touched he made it 3-1. He didn’t do much else, but it was enough for him. Thus he ended a streak of a year and a half without scoring goals with the Argentine National Team shirt.
Rodrigo De Paul (6):
He assisted Lautaro in the last goal and brought that usual intensity to the midfield. He almost converted his own goal, but Navas also saved him.