"In Copa America, all the teams play us the same" – Argentina star offers opinion after hard-fought 1-0 win over Chile
Argentina defender Cristian Romero has claimed that Chile proved to be a difficult opponent to break down following their 1-0 Group A win at the Copa America 2024.
Earlier on Tuesday (June 25), La Albiceleste defeated Chile to record their second successive win in the Copa America group-stage. After hitting the woodwork twice, they took the lead in the 88th minute after Lautaro Martinez netted his second goal of the tournament.
After the end of his team's second Group A clash, Romero was asked to share his thoughts on Argentina's latest encounter. He responded (h/t X/@RoyNemer):
"It was a tough match. In the Copa America, it seems that all the teams play us the same. We are happy because we played a good game, we showed that we are doing very well and that we are still hungry to achieve things."
Emiliano Martinez agreed with Romero, telling TyC Sports (h/t ESPN):
"These matches are always like this, we have to continue in the same way, treating the matches in this way, as they are all going to be complicated. Everything was tight, they set up lines of five at times. But we are happy that at the end of the day, we ended up taking the three points, which is what we wanted to start with."
Argentina, who are currently the world champions, dominated Chile in their recent Copa America contest, relishing a whopping 61% possession. They registered 22 shots compared to Chile's three and completed 483 passes with 88% accuracy in New Jersey.
La Albiceleste, who beat Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America 2021 final, are next set to face Peru in Miami on Saturday (June 29). The Lionel Messi-led side are currently atop Group A with six points from two games.
Emiliano Martinez says Argentina boast two world-class players after Copa America win
After his team's nervy 1-0 win against Chile at MetLife Stadium, Emiliano Martinez claimed that Argentina currently have two of the world's best attackers. He opined (h/t X/@RoyNemer):
"We have two of the best forwards in the world, Julian [Alvarez] and Lautaro [Martínez]."
Julian Alvarez, 24, relished a great season for Manchester City, helping them win three trophies in the 2023-24 season. He scored 19 goals and laid out 13 assists in 54 games across competitions for his club.
Lautaro Martinez, on the other hand, guided Inter Milan to the Serie A title and the Supercoppa Italiana trophy last season. The 26-year-old contributed 27 goals and seven assists in 44 overall outings for Inter.