Argentina edged rival Brazil 1-0 on Friday in Melbourne, Australia in an international friendly, with Gabriel Mercado bagging the winner. With new coach Jorge Sampaoli making his debut for the two-time World Cup winners, Argentina did well in the first half but were fortunate not to concede in the second.
After pushing in the first half and almost scoring through Paulo Dybala, Mercado scored late in the first half on an open net after a header off the post from Nicolas Otamendi. Take a look:
Brazil looked to have equalized in the second half through Gabriel Jesus, but his wide-open effort hit the post, and the rebound from Willian also somehow hit the other post. Take a look at this baffling miss:
The defeat is Brazil's first under manager Tite, as the team won his first nine matches in charge with a +23 goal differential. But, this was just a friendly and a game that didn't involve the team's most impactful player with Neymar not called up for the match, so there is hardly any concern from this result for Brazil.
On the Argentine side, Messi didn't do much in this match as his role saw him play a bit more in the middle of the field, with Sampaoli modifying his tactics throughout. Joining Gonzalo Higuain, Dybala and Angel Di Maria going forward, Messi may just be looked at as the engine of the attacking midfield with the freedom to push higher, though there is always a chance, a likely one, that Messi moves even high up the field.
This match saw Sampaoli call up his former Sevilla player Joaquin Correa, who impressed in limited time at central attacking midfielder, and may just be a player he pairs with Messi in attack.
Argentina now has more options under Sampaoli, and with that more belief from the fans. Friday was just a small step towards trying to get this team on the right path, and beating your bitter rival is as good a start as possible.
For news, stories, results and more, follow us:
