Argentina 2-0 Qatar: 3 top performers who sent the Albicelestes into Copa America quarter-final

Argentina suffered their worst ever start to a Copa America, losing 2 goals to nil to Colombia. They also failed to beat Paraguay at their second match of the competition and sit bottom of the group B table before facing Qatar.

Luckily, they defeated Qatar while Colombia beat Paraguay. Hence, Argentina eventually finished 2nd to qualify for the knockout stage. Argentina dominated Qatar throughout the match, winning 54 percent possession and creating 8 shots on target.

Unfortunately, Lionel Messi failed to impress once again. The Argentinian talisman lacked his usual killer touch and blazed over one glorious second-half opportunity. However, Argentina progressed into the next round after a series of an uninspiring display at the group stage.

Here, we will take a look at 3 players who saved the Albicelestes from Copa America exit.

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#1 Lautaro Martinez

Martinez

The 21-year-old's enormous talent has been evident since he played for Racing. Inter bought the starlet for €14 million a year ago, and he quickly justified his price tag. He has made impressive progress in both the national team and club since joining Inter, despite the fact that he has been unable to find consistent game time.

The young striker scored 6 league goals and provided 2 assists from just 13 appearances as a starter in the last term. He earned his Argentina call-up for the Copa America tournament, although the team had other strong candidates such as Gonzalo Higuain and Mauro Icardi. He secured the opener against Qatar after capitalizing on a wayward pass at the 4th minute.

He struggled to make further contributions for the team after that, but he worked hard and managed to claim 3 shots on target in the end. He was substituted for Paulo Dybala at the 76th minute. However, his opener was vital for Argentina. Thus, he deserves to be on this list.

#2 Leandro Paredes

Paredes

Bought for a massive €40 million in January, Paredes had a somewhat mixed season at Paris Saint Germain. Thomas Tuchel handed him zero Champions League starts, despite the player featuring heavily in Ligue 1. He was also directly involved in just 2 goals at PSG in the last campaign, considerably less than what he contributed for Zenit.

However, he became Lionel Scaloni's favorite player during the group stage of Copa America, playing for full 90 minutes in all of Argentina's group stage matches. He turned out to be Argentina's standout performer, holding things together and producing one of his best performances for the team.

He completed 96 percent of his passes and delivered all of his corner kicks perfectly. Paredes also showcased his playmaking skill, amassing a total of 4 key passes. With that kind of display, Argentina could not have asked for a better midfielder.

#1 Sergio Aguero

Aguero

Aguero had another impressive season at Manchester City, amassing 21 goals and creating 8 assists from 33 league games. He also stood out in the Champions League, recording 6 goals from the same number of appearances as a starter.

However, he had such an abysmal start to the Copa America, as he failed to find the net in his first 2 games of the competition. Aguero has struggled to find a consistent game time for Argentina national team. The 31-year-old managed to complete a game just 9 times, despite the fact that he racked up a total of 93 appearances for the Albicelestes.

Fortunately, he impressed against Qatar and became arguably the most dangerous player on the pitch. The Manchester City star registered 4 shots on target, provided 3 key passes and created 4 successful dribbles. He eventually sealed Argentina's win by scoring a classic goal ten minutes from time.