East Rutherford, United States, June 25 (EFE).- A late goal by Lautaro Martinez after a three-minute VAR check was enough for Argentina to book their place in the quarterfinals of the Copa America as they beat Chile 0-1 on Tuesday.
The Inter Milan forward once again vindicated his position as one of Argentina’s key goal scorers with his second goal of the tournament, despite missing a clear chance set up by evergreen Angel Di Maria in added time.
His goal put Argentina at the top of the table in Group A, with Chile, Canada, and Peru vying for second place.
Peru, who lost to Canada 0-1 at Kansas on the same day, must beat Argentina in their next match on Saturday to progress to the quarterfinals, while Chile will need a win against Canada the same day.
World champions Argentina needed at least 20 minutes to establish their control against Chile but then corralled them into their half, making 11 attempts in the first half alone – three of them on target.
Lionel Messi’s shot from the edge of the box hit the post in the 37th minute before Erik Pulgar nearly scored an own goal after a dangerous cross from Nahuel Molina.
Dibu Martinez saved Argentina twice in the second half before their persistence was finally rewarded with the goal from their No. 9, which also helped them maintain their perfect record in the tournament, having defeated Canada 2-0 earlier in their opening match. EFE
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