The selection Argentina football said goodbye to his audience tonight with a 3-0 win against Venezuela in the penultimate day of the Conmebol South American qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
On a cold autumn night at the Alberto J. Armando ‘La Bombonera’ stadium in Buenos Aires, the Albiceleste won with goals from Nicolás González, Ángel Di María and their captain: Lionel Messi. With this victory, an Argentina already qualified for the World Cup reached 38 points to be second behind the leader Brazil, while a rebuilding Venezuela remains in last place with 10 points.
The match was intense from the beginning with an Albiceleste seeking to make up for their absences with Messi as the footballing axis in search of teaming up with Alexis Mac Allister, Nicolás González and Joaquín Correa. For its part, Venezuela appealed to a physical and rough game to prevent the rival’s associated play and seek their offensive reference in Salomón Rondón, in partnership with Josef Martínez. Argentina had some options to open the scoring but had to wait until minute 35 in a partnership between debutant Alexis Mac Allister and Rodrigo De Paul who scored a low center for the arrival of the goal of Nicholas Gonzalez. Argentina had the opportunity to increase the score before the break and Venezuela had their opportunity to tie it with an arrival from Salomón Rondón, but neither of them managed to get the goal and the Albiceleste went into the break with a minimal difference.
In the second half, Argentina kept up the pressure but had an instant break when Ángel Di María entered because the PSG player gave verticality and depth to the local attack. and it was his own Say Maria who in the 78th minute received a deep pass from De Paul to hook up when he reached the area and with an exquisite Vaseline define over Wuilker Fariñez and two defenses from Vinotinto. And, just three minutes later, a pass from Di María found Leo Messiwho, with a faulty shot from the right, put the final touch to the match and to the Argentine victory.
On the last day of the road from Conmebol to Qatar 2022, Argentina will visit the also qualified Ecuador in Guayaquil, while Venezuela will receive an urgent and needy Colombia in Caracas.
Messi questions his continuity
Lionel Messi affirmed this Friday that after the World Cup in Qatar will have to rethink “many things & rdquor;, and did not ensure that he continues to wear the shirt number 10 of the Albiceleste team, with which he feels happy. “I’ve been happy here for a long time. We won the Cup (America) with this wonderful group. Everything flows naturally. It’s easier on and off the field. Winning helps make everything more beautiful and easier & rdquor ;, expressed the Argentina’s captain after beating Venezuela 3-0 at the La Bombonera stadium.”I don’t think we’re going to come back anymore. It’s the farewell,” he said, admitting that Argentina probably won’t play on his territory again until after the World Cup. “I think about Ecuador and the previous preparation matches. After the World Cup I’m going to have to rethink a lot of things, whether it goes well or badly, hopefully well”, said the French PSG player. “It’s not the first time I feel this support. I had already felt it. We expected this from the people after the last times we have been going through and the only one between the public and the National Team & rdquor ;, he expressed when referring to the support of the public in the match in which he scored goal number 81 with the Albiceleste.
Messi equaled Uruguayan Luis Suárez at the top of the scorers in the South American qualifiers with 28.