Paraguay 0-0 Argentina: 5 talking points as Copa America holders fail to score | FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers
Argentina were held to a goalless draw by Paraguay in their FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifier. In a largely one-sided game, the visitors rued missing a couple of clear-cut opportunities in the first half.
Argentina kicked off the game with great intensity in Asuncion. But they missed Lautaro Martinez, who was ruled out of the game with a muscle strain. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi had a quiet outing, and did not offer much of a threat.
Angel Di Maria and Joaquin Correa squandered early chances, though. Di Maria's shot from inside the box was off target, while Correa's tame shot was easily saved by Antony Silva.
¡Final del partido en Asunción! 🔚
En un encuentro en el que ambos tuvieron ocasiones de gol, Paraguay y Argentina igualaron sin goles y se repartieron los puntos por la Fecha 11 🤝
🇵🇾 0 🆚 0 🇦🇷
📲 bit.ly/Par-Arg
#EliminatoriasSudamericanas https://t.co/E8Vs0zpEtq
Paraguay had a few decent efforts in the second half, which were saved by Emi Martinez. The draw means Argentina remain unbeaten in the qualifiers. On that note, here's a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Without a proper striker Argentina struggled to finish off attacks
Argentina's struggles in the final third were not particularly apparent on the night. That's because they were able to get the ball into the final third quite easily, especially in the first half. They fashioned some solid chances as well before the break, but they rued the absence of a target man inside the box.
While Correa starts as a striker for Inter Milan, he is not as good a finisher as Lautaro Martinez. Martinez has been in great form with Inter, scoring five goals in six league outings. So his injury came as a huge blow to Argentina, especially against a physical side like Paraguay.
#4 Paraguay's physical game frustrated the visitors
Paraguay were second-best for most of the game, and lagged Argentina in every key stat in the game. They had just 30% of possession, could only record three shots on target, and were also awarded just three corners in the game.
Against Argentina, the only thing that seemed to work for them was their physical approach to the game. They committed tactical fouls to torment their opponents physically.
This is how Paraguay received Messi and Argentina 🤯
(via davidjbosch/Instagram) https://t.co/nq7cJrLWc7
Overall, 29 fouls were committed in the game, with the hosts accounting for 20 of them.
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