Coach Gerardo Martino says Argentina can still improve on Tuesday's 6-1 Copa America semi-final defeat of Paraguay, as Manchester United men Angel Di Maria and Marcos Rojo accounted for half the goals in the rout.
Martino’s main critique was that Argentina had failed to press the Paraguayans hard enough to win back possession when they lost the ball.
“Our play was much better than in the match against Colombia,” he said, referring to the tense quarter-final clash that was settled in a penalty shootout.
“But in terms of winning back the ball, anywhere on the pitch, I think we were better in the game against Colombia than in today’s game. We didn’t press well, either when we were in their half of the pitch or when we were forced backwards.
“I’m happy about the 6-1 scoreline and playing in the final, but if there’s something that needs correcting I’ll correct it, whether we draw 0-0, lose or win.”
Argentina maintained their dominance of Paraguay in the tournament with two goals before the break and four in the second half to set up a final showdown against hosts Chile.
Di Maria, who endured a loss of form with United in the latter stages of the Premier League season after he came on strong following a move from Real Madrid, scored twice within a 10-minute span early in the second half. His contribution took a tight 2-1 contest and blew it open.
A superb counter-attack saw Javier Pastore slip in Di Maria, whose low shot made it 3-1 on 47 minutes.
Di Maria scored again five minutes later after Lionel Messi’s spectacular run past three Paraguayan defenders. Pastore received the pass from Messi, but his shot was saved by Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar and Di Maria found the open net off the rebound.
That built on United teammate Rojo’s contribution in the first half, with the defender opening up the scoring and giving Argentina the lead just 15 minutes in.
Argentina have played well throughout the tournament, but until Tuesday they had scored only four goals in as many matches as they struggled to finish off their opponents.
However, their victory was the biggest in a Copa America semi-final since 1997, when Brazil beat Peru 7-0, and was Argentina’s biggest win over Paraguay in the tournament since 1947, when they beat them 6-0 in Ecuador.
They have played Paraguay 24 times in the 99-year history of the tournament and have never lost. Likewise, the two finalists have played each other 24 times in the Copa America and Argentina have yet to lose.
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