Montevideo, November 12 (BUS): Argentina started without Lionel Messi but Angel Di Maria’s magic moment was enough to give them a barely deserved 1-0 victory over Uruguay in Friday’s World Cup qualifier in Montevideo.
Reuters reported that Uruguay humbly surrendered to Argentina in a 3-0 loss last month, but this time it has taken the match to its opponents and will feel annoyed with the goalless exit after having more chances in front of its fans.
“Sometimes you just have to win and we’ve done that,” said Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni. “It doesn’t play well, sure, but it’s still important.”
The match was decided by a moment of brilliance from Di Maria after only six minutes.
Young Uruguayan left-back Joaquin Bequerez lost the ball on the edge of the penalty area and Di Maria fired a superb shot at goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
Luis Suarez had already forced Emiliano Martinez to save well at the other end and the Atletico Madrid striker hit the post after half an hour.
The second half was even more tied and both goalkeepers made important saves but Uruguay’s lack of firepower – they have now scored just two goals in their last five games – meant they struggled against a strong Argentine side.
Goalkeeper Martinez was also lucky in the final minutes when Julian Alvarez headed a free header over the crossbar and then blocked the goalkeeper’s long-range shot but managed to recover before slipping into the net behind him.
Messi, who missed his last two PSG matches through injury, replaced Giovanni Lo Celso 14 minutes from the end but made little impact on a side that saw their unbeaten record increase to 26 games, a streak that stretched over more than two years. .
“They put pressure on us, they have experienced players, but we were lucky because we were able to maintain our unbeaten run and get the three points,” said defender Nicolas Otamendi.
“We know how hard it was to play here and we knew they were under a lot of pressure to win. We had to be strong when the match got complicated but we managed to keep a clean sheet.”
The victory raises Argentina’s tally to 28 points, six points behind Brazil, who on Thursday became the first South American team to secure a place in Qatar 2022 after beating Colombia 1-0.
The top four teams automatically qualify for the finals and the fifth-placed team plays an interregional play-off.
Uruguay remains with 16 points and its fourth draw with Chile and Colombia.
They head to Bolivia to face the hosts at high altitude on Tuesday, while Argentina hosts Brazil on the same night.
NS