Argentina defeats Italy 2-0 in a lackluster friendly match
Midfielder Éver Banega and attacking midfielder Manuel Lanzini rescued Argentina on Friday against Italy in a soporific friendly match in Manchester, in which the Albiceleste missed the presence of Leo Messi, who was out of the game due to abductor discomfort.
The match, one of the highlights of the international break, saw two teams in construction, without a game plan, lost in creativity and overly dependent on their star players. However, only two players showed up tonight: Banega and Lanzini. And both in the final stretch.
Jorge Sampaoli waited until the last minute for Messi, but the player from Rosario, who had been struggling all week, watched the match from the stands due to discomfort and is doubtful for Tuesday's match against Spain.
Without the number 10, the Argentine coach opted for the young Giovani Lo Celso, giving him another chance after his poor performances in the previous tour. Other newcomers to the team were midfielder Leandro Paredes, who made his debut as a starter, Fabricio Bustos and Nicolás Tagliafico on the wings, and the veteran Willy Caballero, who at 36 and a half years old played his first match with the senior national team.
In Italy, still depressed and lost after their World Cup failure - missing the tournament for the first time in 60 years - interim coach Luigi Di Biagio combined youth and experience in the starting lineup. The young Federico Chiesa made his debut up front alongside Immobile and Insigne, and Buffon, at 40 years old, returned to the national team goal.
'Gigi' said before the match that he hadn't returned to the national team to stroll around. And if it hadn't been for him, his team would have conceded three or four goals tonight at the Etihad. The veteran Juventus goalkeeper was busy in the first half and made providential saves on shots by Otamendi, Tagliafico, and Higuaín to keep the score 0-0.
If the first 45 minutes belonged to Argentina, the second half belonged to Italy, who without the ball and only relying on counterattacks, tried to reach Caballero's goal.
Chelsea's goalkeeper was also outstanding tonight; in the second half, he had work to do with Insigne and Immobile's attempts.
The nearly 10,000 spectators who attended the Etihad, which had a poor turnout, bored by the spectacle on the pitch, tried to liven up by doing the wave and shouting for Messi. Meanwhile, the player from Rosario watched the match from the stands, wrapped in warm clothing.
Sampaoli made substitutions in the second half, and with Banega and Perotti on the field, Argentina improved. Precisely, the Sevilla midfielder was responsible for opening the scoring with fifteen minutes left: Lanzini recovered the ball in the opponent's half, played a nice one-two with Lo Celso, and shot with his left foot into the left post of Buffon's goal, who, blocked by a teammate, was a statue.
The decisive 2-0 came in the 85th minute, after a good counterattack led by Higuaín, who played the ball to Lanzini at the top of the box. Lanzini settled the ball and beat Buffon with a powerful right-footed shot.
Without Messi and lacking ideas, Argentina defeated a poor and depressed Italy with the minimum and now travels to Madrid where on Tuesday they will face a stronger opponent, Spain, led by Julen Lopetegui, which on Friday drew 1-1 in Dusseldorf against Germany, the reigning world champion.