MIAMI GARDENS — A swarm of fans donning blue and white (and various Lionel Messi jerseys) packed into Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday to watch the Argentinian national team take on Peru in the Copa America group stage. Fans may have been disappointed with the Inter Miami star’s absence due to a thigh injury, but any sour feelings subsided as Argentina earned a spot in the tournament quarterfinal.
Argentina (3-0-0) defeated Peru (0-1-2) 2-0 in a dominant showing. With the win, Argentina secured first place in Group A and moved on to the next stage of the competition.
The first half was mostly uneventful. Argentina had three shots on goal to Peru’s zero. Despite the few scoring chances, Argentina controlled the pitch with a 79.3% possession rate. Peru did its best to turn stops into counter attacks, but were swiftly shut down in each opening.
“I tend to look at the overall performance,” said Argentina assistant manager Walter Samuel, who stood in for suspended manager Lionel Scaloni. “Our team was able to adjust to the conditions from the very first match… the team is doing great.”
Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese came up with huge saves on the most dangerous chances of the opening half. He made an outstretched save on a free kick attempt from Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes. In the 44th minute, he got in the way of a shot right in front of the goal from Argentinian midfielder Giovani Lo Celso.
The game was tied 0-0 as the whistle blew for halftime.
Argentina got results from its aggressive offense early in the second half, scoring in the 46th minute. Angel Di Maria placed a through ball into the center of the box for Lautaro Martinez, who finished the job with ease to give Argentina a 1-0 lead.
“The first goal was a great goal, and I was sure that we were going to find it,” Samuel said.
As time ticked away in the match, Argentina strangled its opponent. It kept majority possession and held Peru to only one shot on goal. Martinez got open upfield and scored his second goal of the match to make it a 2-0 Argentina lead in the closing minutes. Argentina fans chanted with joy as their team came away with the win.
“I believe that Peru’s performance today was the weakest of all three games,” Peru manager Jorge Fossati said. “The statue of our opponent… that is undisputed. It was clear we weren’t in our best possible shape.”
The next Copa America match to grace the field at Hard Rock Stadium is the tournament final. The two remaining teams after the elimination bracket face off in South Florida on July 14 at 9 p.m.