Argentina 1-0 Paraguay: 5 Talking points as Papu Gomez's strike seals quarterfinal berth for La Albiceleste | Copa America 2021

#3 Argentina continue unbeaten run under Lionel Scaloni

Angel di Maria (right) and Nahuel Molina (centre) fight for the ball against Paraguay's Miguel Almiron

Argentina had a great first half and took an early lead, which proved enough for them to record a win here. With this result, they extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to 16 games.

Lionel Scaloni's men have not lost a game since their defeat in the Copa America 2019. While that is a great achievement, most of their recent games have been low-scoring affairs, with six of the last nine games ending with Argentina scoring just one goal.

16 games unbeaten 😤Argentina qualify for the Copa America quarterfinals 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/16ZPDqWVrP

— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 22, 2021

Argentina were expected to qualify for the quarterfinals but their main test will be in the knockout stages. It remains to be seen whether they can sustain their unbeaten run starting with the quarterfinals.

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#2 A physical approach overshadowed the creativity on the pitch as the game progressed

Nicolas Tagliafico (left) is challenged by a Paraguay defender

There were a lot of highly skilled players on the pitch today. The likes of Messi, Di Maria, Gomez and Aguero started for Argentina, while Miguel Almiron and Ángel Romero played for Paraguay.

Despite these players making things tick in the final third during the initial stages of the game, both sides resorted to a physical approach as the game progressed. The play was repeatedly disrupted by fouls, making for a stop-start encounter after the first 20 minutes.

A total of 34 fouls being committed in the game, 23 from Paraguay and 11 from Argentina. However, only three yellow cards were awarded across both teams.

The continuous fouling and tackling meant the creative players were not able to display their finesse. There were only a handful of moments where these players looked sharp.

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#1 Paraguay made to wait for their first-ever Copa win over Argentina

Miguel Almiron in action for Paraguay against Argentina

In all honesty, Paraguay deserved at least a point from this game against Argentina. They were the better side for the most part and were only let done by their own lack of conviction in front of goal.

They recorded more attempts on goal than Argentina but had fewer shots on target. The game marked the 25th occasion when the two sides have met in the Copa America. Paraguay are yet to beat Argentina in these meetings.

8 - Argentina made eight shots against Paraguay: the second joint-lowest under Lionel Scaloni, alongside the game vs Ecuador in October 2020 and one more than the game vs Paraguay in the Copa América 2019 (7). Uninspired. pic.twitter.com/mU9qDxYl79

— OptaJoao (@OptaJoao) June 22, 2021

La Albirroja are still in contention for a qualification spot but face two decisive games. They take on Chile next, followed by a clash with Uruguay in the next seven days.

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