Agüero uses his head to win Copa clash

There was a hint of Déjà vu in La Portada as Sergio Agüero once more fired Argentina into the lead, for the second time in this Copa America. Unlike the schizophrenic debut though the Albiceleste kept its cool and held on for a 1-0 win in Group B over arch-rivals Uruguay, pulling level with Paraguay at the top with one game left to play in the first round.

It was by no means easy, and Uruguay had chances to fight its way back into proceedings. But the Argentine luck held and picked up three points worth gold in the race to qualify for the quarter-final in the coveted first-placed spot.

In a must-win game for Argentina it was unsurprisingly Gerardo Martino’s men who went on the offensive. With eight minutes gone Javier Pastore made inroads through the middle of the pitch and played in Ángel Di María down the right. The Manchester United man had an angle on the net, but his shot was too close to Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera who saved comfortably.

Just minutes later Di María flashed a volley just wide of the post, setting the tone for the first half. The Albiceleste looked to stretch a disciplined Uruguay back-line, which set its stall deep down the field and invited its Rioplatense rivals to attack. Many of the best moments came from the feet of Pastore, while Lionel Messi began to influence as play went on after a muted start.

It was the No. 10’s skill in advancing to the edge of the area which almost let in Sergio Agüero for the opener. A pinpoint cross found the forward waiting and Muslera had to pull off a fine stop to keep scores level. It was not all one-way traffic, however, as the Celeste looked to punish on the break and at set-pieces.

Atlético Madrid centre-back Diego Godín has a fine reputation for making the difference in the opposition penalty area, and the defender went close to scoring when he connected with a corner. The header veered just wide of the post, while Sergio Romero watched another chance slip past the woodwork when Diego Rolán tried following a sloppy loss of possession from Di María.

Martino, under pressure following the disappointing 2-2 draw against Paraguay on Saturday, was then sent off from the touchline following a verbal altercation with the match officials and forced to watch the rest of the match from the stands. Argentina kept pushing, but the sea of white shirts did not recede and the nation went into the break with the game poised in a goal-less tie.

Having tried so hard to open the Celeste back-line in the first period, Argentina finally saw a glint of light 10 minutes after the interval. Pastore held the ball up intelligently on the edge of the box, and spotted full-back Pablo Zabaleta on the overlap. What followed was a move that could have come straight off the Manchester City training ground; a pinpoint cross from Zabaleta, which found Agüero rushing in to meet the ball with his head and beat Muslera for the first goal.

Just as in the first match it was El Kun who fired his nation into the lead, and the Argentina fans crammed into La Portada responded with wild celebrations as the Albiceleste took the initiative.

The ghosts of the weekend, however, very nearly returned with 15 minutes left on the clock. After Argentina had created a handful of chances to extend the lead Albiceleste hearts stopped as Romero palmed away a low shot from Maxi Pereira angled in from outside the box. The net was open and plenty of Uruguay players ready for the rebound, but Rolán somehow contrived to sky his effort with the goal gaping. Muslera then kept his team in the game by picking out a ferocious Messi drive which looked destined for the net.

There were a few more nervous moments in the dying minutes – including an excellent reaction save to keep out Abel Hernández right at the death – but Martino’s men withstood the storm to pick up their first win of this Copa America. The Albiceleste takes some revenge for elimination four years ago at the hands of Oscar Tábarez’s charges, and more importantly take a giant step towards the quarter-finals which will be confirmed on Saturday if it can beat bottom side Jamaica.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald