Messi rues Argentina’s lack of composure against Chile
Lionel Messi lamented Argentina's lack of composure after a 1-1 draw with Chile in their Copa America opener yesterday morning (Singapore time), but coach Lionel Scaloni saw things differently.
Messi gave Argentina the lead with a stunning free-kick in the first half, but the Chileans equalised through Eduardo Vargas in the second half, after Arturo Vidal's penalty was saved by Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Despite Argentina's dominance during the Group A clash in Rio de Janeiro's Nilton Santos Stadium, Messi lamented that "we weren't calm, we didn't have control of the ball".
But Scaloni was not overly worried, saying: "We deserved to win but in the end we drew. In any case, it's only the start of a very tough tournament."
Chile coach Martin Lasarte said: "This team didn't want to be beaten, even though they didn't play well."
In another Group A game, Angel Romero scored twice as Paraguay bounced back to beat 10-man Bolivia 3-1 in Goiania and top the group.
Meanwhile, Brazil's Ministry of Health said 31 players and Copa America delegation members had tested positive for Covid-19 by Sunday, with another 10 cases among employees working at hotels where the players and their delegations are staying in Brasilia. - REUTERS
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now