Angel Di Maria was named the Man of the Match for Argentina following the team’s 1-0 win vs. Paraguay.

Back to being a starter for Lionel Scaloni, Angel Di Maria was one of the best players on the pitch for Argentina. So much so that he was literally named the Man of the Match.

Di Maria was everywhere for Argentina and silenced many of his critics who said he couldn’t cut it anymore for his country. From holding up the ball, to driving at the Paraguay back line to his sublime assist to Alejandro Papu Gomez, Di Maria had his best performance in an Argentina shirt in some time.

Following the match, Di Maria commented on the team’s performance:

“I believe we deserved the win. We had a lot of chances but we were only able to convert once.”

Another one who had a solid showing was Alejandro Papu Gomez. After not playing a single minute in Argentina’s string of matches the past few weeks, Papu Gomez found himself in the starting eleven for Lionel Scaloni.

And the Argentine repaid Scaloni with the match winner. As mentioned earlier, Di Maria played the through ball which found Gomez following a great run by the Sevilla man and a lovely little dink over the goalkeeper.

Papu spoke about his opportunity and goal after the match:

“I’m very happy, I was waiting for this chance. I’m very happy for the win. I think about the family, the friends. The effort goes through your mind. I had the patience to wait for my opportunity when it wasn’t my time.

“The assist by Angel was so good. All I had to do was put my foot under the ball and finish. The team is back to winning and that gives us a lot of confidence. Now to rest and to prepare for what is coming.”

While those two connected for the goal, the back line had a say in the win and clean sheet. Molina, who at times struggled in the first half, showed up very strong in attack. And defensively, he improved a lot in the second half as Paraguay insisted on attacking through his side. However, the Udinese man was up for the task.

Cristian Romero put out many fires and playing alongside Pezzella, the two were able to block shots to make sure that Emiliano Martinez did not have too much to do.

Who would you select as your Man of the Match for the win? Would it be Di Maria, Papu Gomez, Molina, Romero or perhaps someone else?

#CopaAmérica 🏆@Argentina está venciendo 1-0 a la @Albirroja por el Grupo A de la CONMEBOL #CopaAmérica y esto fue lo mejor del primer tiempo

🇦🇷 Argentina 🆚 Paraguay 🇵🇾#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/51qkisnMau

— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) June 22, 2021

Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni spoke to the press following the match where he commented on the team and their reliance on Lionel Messi.

It was a difficult 1-0 win for Argentina in a match which saw six changes from the previous game. The team played a well rested Paraguay and it was Alejandro Papu Gomez getting his first goal in the sky blue and white shirt.

Scaloni commented on the match, Lionel Messi and the upcoming game. Here’s what he had to say:

“What I’m worried about today is the physical conditions of the players. The conditions were not the best to play in. The second half is also a credit to Paraguay. Obviously there are things to improve, like in every match.”

There were rumors that Lionel Messi would be rested for this match but in the end, the most capped player ever for the Argentina national team played the entire 90 minutes. In regards to Lionel Messi, Scaloni had this to say:

“The reality is that Messi has come here having played every match and it’s very difficult not to count on him.”

In regards to the team and the upcoming game:

“I believe the matches in which we got scored on were key moments. Defensively, the team is well. Today, there were players that worked very well for the team.

“It’s a possibility that in the next match we rotate. Having qualified gives us peace of mind. Now we have to recover and train.”

The team will not be playing midweek as their next match will be vs. Bolivia next Monday.

Argentina nationa team coach Lionel Scaloni has made several changes to the eleven for Monday’s Copa America match.

Lionel Scaloni has made six changes in total from the elven which started the 1-0 win vs. Uruguay. Two changes in the back line, two in midfield and two in attack. It’s a 4-3-3 by Scaloni as German Pezzella comes in for Nicolas Otamendi and Nicolas Tagliafico is on for Marcos Acuna.

In midfield, Guido Rodriguez maintains his spot while Leandro Paredes is back and Alejandro Papu Gomez gets his first start. Up front, Lionel Messi starts alongside veterans Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria. This is the eleven:

Martínez; Molina, Romero, Pezzella, Tagliafico; Paredes, Guido Rodríguez, Papu Gómez; Messi, Di María; Agüero

With the start, Messi will now be on 147 matches, tying Javier Mascherano for the most matches ever in an Argentina shirt.