The good news for Argentina was that Saturday night’s 1-0 victory over Jamaica guaranteed them a spot in the quarter-finals of the competition.
That was about as positive as it got, though, as last year’s World Cup finalists failed to convince against opponents ranked 65th in the world, and even their coach Gerardo Martino acknowledged his side’s display had been “tedious”.
Gonzalo Higuain’s goal after 11 minutes had given them the lead in Vina del Mar in Chile, but they failed to build on it and frustration grew as the match went on, despite the result clinching top spot in Group B.
Martino blamed weariness for his side’s below-par showing.
“The first half was OK. We played fine and we scored quickly and created five or six chances to score,” he said.
“At the end it was a bit tedious, but we did what was necessary. Physically, we struggled a bit in the second half.”
Argentina will have nearly a week’s rest before their quarter-final, which will be against either Ecuador or the third-placed team in Group C.
“There are things to fix,” Martino said. “We’ve got six days’ rest now before the quarter-finals and I think we need them.
“We’ve had three matches in a week, so it’s been a tough schedule.”
The game was an anti-climatic affair for Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who made his 100th appearance for his country in the match and had worn boots emblazoned with "100" as he brought up a century of caps.
Winfried Schafer, the Jamaica coach, lamented the fact his side had not done themselves full justice against their high- profile opponents.
“In the first half we had too much respect for Argentina, the second-best team in the world,” said Schafer, the former Al Ahli and Al Ain coach.
“The players were nervous facing Messi, (Angel) Di Maria, (Javier) Mascherano.”
Joining Argentina in the quarter-finals are Uruguay and Paraguay, who drew 1-1 in their match in La Serena.
Jose Gimenez had put Uruguay, the defending champions, in front on 28 minutes, but Paraguay levelled through Lucas Barrios a minute before the interval.
The result gave Paraguay second place in Group B behind Argentina, while Uruguay are guaranteed one of the two best third-place qualification positions on four points.
The draw suited both teams, though Uruguayan defender Gimenez said that was never the intention.
“There was a lot to play for – the prestige, wearing the national team shirt,” Gimenez said. “None of the teams here are playing for a draw, nor to lose.”
Paraguay have proven to be one of the surprise packages of the competition, having gone through the group stages unbeaten thanks to earning draws with Argentina and Uruguay, as well as beating Jamaica.
The team’s goalscorer Barrios said: “I’m very happy to show off the strength that Paraguay has.
“It’s an important team and we’ve shown that right from the first match. We are stronger than ever.”
Uruguay face tournament hosts and Group A winners Chile in Santiago on Wednesday, while Paraguay were to find out their opponents in the quarter-finals on Sunday night.
They will play the Group C winners, with all four teams in that group, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru, having a chance to top the standings.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at @NatSportUAE
