The Albiceleste were frustrated in their 1-1 draw on Monday, with their attackers wasting golden opportunities in front of goal
Argentina forward Nicolas Gonzalez has shouldered blame for a 1-1 draw vs Chile in the Copa America on Monday, telling reporters he “failed a lot” in the match, while Lionel Messi lamented a “complicated” game.
Indeed, Gonzalez headed a perfect over-the-top pass from Messi over the bar when he had only the goalkeeper to beat in the 80th minute. But he was far from the only Argentina player to be wasteful as they could only convert one of their 18 shots on the night.
Messi scored the lone goal for the Albiceleste on a free kick before Chile equalised through Eduardo Vargas.
What did Messi say?
“The game was complicated,” Messi said. “We lacked calmness, having control of the ball and playing faster. The penalty changed the game.
“We wanted to start winning. Now we have Uruguay, which is also going to be difficult. But hey, we have to think about the next match now.”
Struggles in front of goal
Aside from Messi’s stunning free-kick, Argentina were wasteful in front of goal, with Gonzalez shouldering the blame.
“I am self-critical, today I have failed a lot,” Gonzalez said. “We must be much finer [around the net]. I’m going to be angry but happy for some of the positives we showed today.
“We had a lot of goal situations. We entered a little asleep in the second half but later we were able to [evolve].”
However, head coach Lionel Scaloni says he was pleased with the amount of chances created as he backed his team to finish those chances as they get sharper as the tournament goes.
“I would be worried if the team did not generate goal situations,” he said. “The important thing is that we do it, we put many players in the area.”
He added: “We have a very rich squad. All the footballers who are here can play, that’s why they came.”
What’s next for Argentina?
The squad will face Uruguay on Friday night in a clash Messi admitted is “going to be complicated”.
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