Once again, Argentina have dropped points. Lionel Messi will be criticized again, perhaps unfairly, and Alejandro Sabella will have plenty of questions to answer. Bolivia are the side who have caused concerns for the Albiceleste once again, getting a 1-1 draw in Argentina just like they did at Copa America 2011.
Argentina Vs. Bolivia, CONMEBOL World Cup 2014 Qualifying: Full Time, Albiceleste Drop Points
The first half ended 0-0, unsurprisingly. Argentina kept the ball, but struggled to create chances. Lionel Messi was fouled frequently. The Albiceleste didn’t create much in the way of chances. When they did create one chance - a Gonzalo Higuain goal in the 22nd minute - it was incorrectly disallowed.
Marcelo Moreno scored on a scramble in the 56th minute, putting a nice finish into the back of the net from close range at the near post. The defending and goalkeeping wasn't the best, which is hardly surprising considering the fact that Argentina is still starting the likes of Martin Demichelis.
It took just three minutes to find and equalizer, and it was scored by Ezequiel Lavezzi just one minute after he entered the game for Ricky Alvarez. Picking up a great pass from Fernando Gago, the Napoli man played himself into a shooting position at the top of the penalty area and placed a great shot into the back of the net.
Argentina pressed hard for a winnner and created a number of half chances, but they were frantic and disorganized in doing so. They never really forced a great save out of Carlos Arias, and would be hard to argue that Bolivia didn’t earn their point.
We’ll have live coverage of this match and all of the other games in South America in our CONMEBOL World Cup 2014 Qualifying, Matchday 3 StoryStream. For more on the entire world of football, visit SB Nation Soccer.
See More:
