Lionel Messi strutted out onto the grass at the Estadio La Portada in La Serana just before the start of the second half, relaxed and happy, sharing a joke with compatriot Angelo Di Maria. By the time the second half ended, he had a frown on his face, his eyes furrowed.
In effect, this was the story of the match. Argentina were so dominant in the first half that it got boring after a while. Forget a chance, Paraguay didn’t even have a whiff of goal. At 2-0, it seemed a foregone conclusion. In fact, the Argentine players might even have been disappointed with that scoreline when they walked off at half-time – such was their level of possession.
But 85th-ranked Paraguay had other plans. Realising that their tactic of parking the bus and just relying on counter-attack wasn’t working, they switched strategy. It was a move borne more out of desperation but it paid off. Paraguay started taking more risks and playing a more attacking brand of football. Argentina couldn’t respond accordingly and were caught out. When Lucas Barrios thumped in the equalizer in the 90th minute to seal an unlikely comeback, the were ecstatic. The final score was 2-2 but it was undoubtedly Paraguay who had come out moral victors.
A tale of two halves
With their assortment of riches, the first half went embarrassingly simple for Argentina.
It took a while but when it came, it seemed inevitable. For 25 long minutes, Paraguay resisted against wave after wave of Argentine attacks. The breakthrough finally came in the 29nd minute, Serio Aguero latching on to a mistake from Miguel Samudio, a Paraguayan defender, to slot it home.
Before Paraguay could even pick themselves up and muster a response, Samudio gave Argentina another lifeline. A poorly timed tackle on Angel Di Maria in the 36th minute did not go without censure. Argentina were duly awarded a penalty and Messi had no problem scoring from the spot.
The statistics of the first half reflected the dire nature of the game till then. Argentina had enjoyed 76% possession and seven shots on goal. In contrast, Paraguay had only a single shot on goal.
Paraguay’s incredible fightback
Normal service seemed to have resumed in the second half as Argentina dominated possession and looked to put the game to bed. Unfortunately, they hadn’t counted for Paraguay’s fighting spirit. Nelson Valdez had just missed a great chance for Paraguay. It didn’t deter him though, immediately in the next attack, he pumped in a swerving strike from 25-yards out to beat Romero, the Argentine goalie and keep Paraguay in with a foot in the door.
From drab and boring, the game opened up after the strike to see top quality end-to-end football. It was South American football at its finest with Paraguay pressing forward desperately to get the equalizer and Argentina trying to take advantage of the gaps in the Paraguay defence. The saves started coming thick and fast – in the 67th minute, Joel Silva, the Paraguay goalkeeper, put in a brilliant diving stop to deny Argentina. Paraguay hit right back in the 77th minute, Samudio, the culprit of the two goals in the first half, unleashing a pile driver which Romero somehow managed to tip over the bar.
As the game entered the last ten minutes, Paraguay brought it up a notch. The Albiceleste were wilting, but you still expected the third-best football team in the world to weather the storm, keep their cool and take away the three points on offer. Unfortunately for Tata Martino, the Argentina coach, that wasn’t to be. After ten minutes of intense attack, Paraguay got the equaliser they deserved to leave Martino shell-shocked.
A needless free-kick conceded by Argentina led to their calamity. Lucas Barrios, who had just arrived to replace Roque Santa Cruz, immediately latched on to a loose ball coming off a header. Thankfully for Paraguay who had thrown away plenty of chances in the last few minutes, Barrios made no mistake. There was no way Romero could reach Barrios’ powerful low shot in the bottom left corner. The Paraguayan contingent erupted – this was a comeback of epic proportions.
When the final whistle rang out, Martino stamped down the tunnel, not trying to hide his anger. He had good reasons to be angry – Argentina had come in as the favourites to win the 2015 Copa America and had just thrown away a two goal lead in their inaugural match. It seems to have become a familiar pattern with Argentina – conspire to mess it up on the big stages. It remains to be seen where they go from here.
In effect, this was the story of the match. Argentina were so dominant in the first half that it got boring after a while. Forget a chance, Paraguay didn’t even have a whiff of goal. At 2-0, it seemed a foregone conclusion. In fact, the Argentine players might even have been disappointed with that scoreline when they walked off at half-time – such was their level of possession.
But 85th-ranked Paraguay had other plans. Realising that their tactic of parking the bus and just relying on counter-attack wasn’t working, they switched strategy. It was a move borne more out of desperation but it paid off. Paraguay started taking more risks and playing a more attacking brand of football. Argentina couldn’t respond accordingly and were caught out. When Lucas Barrios thumped in the equalizer in the 90th minute to seal an unlikely comeback, the were ecstatic. The final score was 2-2 but it was undoubtedly Paraguay who had come out moral victors.
A tale of two halves
With their assortment of riches, the first half went embarrassingly simple for Argentina.
It took a while but when it came, it seemed inevitable. For 25 long minutes, Paraguay resisted against wave after wave of Argentine attacks. The breakthrough finally came in the 29nd minute, Serio Aguero latching on to a mistake from Miguel Samudio, a Paraguayan defender, to slot it home.
Before Paraguay could even pick themselves up and muster a response, Samudio gave Argentina another lifeline. A poorly timed tackle on Angel Di Maria in the 36th minute did not go without censure. Argentina were duly awarded a penalty and Messi had no problem scoring from the spot.
The statistics of the first half reflected the dire nature of the game till then. Argentina had enjoyed 76% possession and seven shots on goal. In contrast, Paraguay had only a single shot on goal.
Paraguay’s incredible fightback
Normal service seemed to have resumed in the second half as Argentina dominated possession and looked to put the game to bed. Unfortunately, they hadn’t counted for Paraguay’s fighting spirit. Nelson Valdez had just missed a great chance for Paraguay. It didn’t deter him though, immediately in the next attack, he pumped in a swerving strike from 25-yards out to beat Romero, the Argentine goalie and keep Paraguay in with a foot in the door.
From drab and boring, the game opened up after the strike to see top quality end-to-end football. It was South American football at its finest with Paraguay pressing forward desperately to get the equalizer and Argentina trying to take advantage of the gaps in the Paraguay defence. The saves started coming thick and fast – in the 67th minute, Joel Silva, the Paraguay goalkeeper, put in a brilliant diving stop to deny Argentina. Paraguay hit right back in the 77th minute, Samudio, the culprit of the two goals in the first half, unleashing a pile driver which Romero somehow managed to tip over the bar.
As the game entered the last ten minutes, Paraguay brought it up a notch. The Albiceleste were wilting, but you still expected the third-best football team in the world to weather the storm, keep their cool and take away the three points on offer. Unfortunately for Tata Martino, the Argentina coach, that wasn’t to be. After ten minutes of intense attack, Paraguay got the equaliser they deserved to leave Martino shell-shocked.
A needless free-kick conceded by Argentina led to their calamity. Lucas Barrios, who had just arrived to replace Roque Santa Cruz, immediately latched on to a loose ball coming off a header. Thankfully for Paraguay who had thrown away plenty of chances in the last few minutes, Barrios made no mistake. There was no way Romero could reach Barrios’ powerful low shot in the bottom left corner. The Paraguayan contingent erupted – this was a comeback of epic proportions.
When the final whistle rang out, Martino stamped down the tunnel, not trying to hide his anger. He had good reasons to be angry – Argentina had come in as the favourites to win the 2015 Copa America and had just thrown away a two goal lead in their inaugural match. It seems to have become a familiar pattern with Argentina – conspire to mess it up on the big stages. It remains to be seen where they go from here.
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