El Salvador vs. Argentina: Winners and Losers from International Friendly
Argentina produced a disappointing 2-0 victory at FedEx Field over El Salvador on Saturday afternoon.
The Albiceleste earned their first win of 2015 through an own goal and a superb late strike from Federico Mancuello.
Outside of the two goals, the performance at the stadium just outside of Washington, D.C. was one to forget for Gerardo Martino's men.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from Argentina's win over El Salvador.
Winner: Derby Carrillo
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The best player on the pitch on Saturday afternoon was El Salvador goalkeeper Derby Carrillo.
He displayed a ton of confidence in between the pipes against some of the brightest attacking stars on the planet.
In the first half, the 27-year-old made a pair of key denials, including a 40th-minute save on an Angel Di Maria free-kick. His other stop came in the 29th minute, when he got a hand on a Gonzalo Higuain shot.
Carrillo was not at fault for the concession of the first goal, since Ever Banega's shot took a wicked deflection off Nestor Renderos.
The goal did not hurt the goalkeeper's confidence one bit, as he sprung into action four minutes later and swatted away a Carlos Tevez attempt.
He was caught out on Mancuello's impressive strike, as he took a step forward before pedaling back in an attempt to clear the ball off the line. But that was his lone mistake of the game.
With one more chance to impress against Guatemala on Tuesday, Carrillo could insert himself into the starting role at the CONCACAF Gold Cup if he shines for an additional 90 minutes.
Loser: Carlos Tevez
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Tevez had a chance to star in the Argentina attack at FedEx Field with Lionel Messi out injured, but he failed to find the back of the net.
The Juventus player created numerous chances in front of goal but was unable to finish off any of his attempts.
With so many attackers fighting for a position in the starting lineup at the moment, Tevez wasted a golden opportunity to shine against a weaker opponent.
Although some may point out that Tevez was the brightest forward in blue on Saturday afternoon, it must be said that he did not take advantage of any of his chances.
If he wants to earn praise from Martino, Tevez must find a way to score over the next few months ahead of the Copa America in Chile.
Winner: Ever Banega
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Banega created the first goal of the match in the 54th minute, when his blistering shot from distance deflected off Renderos and into the back of the net.
Although Renderos was credited with an own goal, Banega deserves some praise for his willingness to attempt a shot from close to 40 yards out.
The Sevilla midfielder also turned in a strong showing in the middle of the park on defense for the Albiceleste in their slim victory.
Banega protected the Argentina goal, interrupting quite a few El Salvador counters throughout the match.
Despite a lackluster performance from the attack, Martino can at least be proud of the defensive effort shown by Banega.
Loser: Nestor Renderos
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Despite putting in a decent performance at the back for El Salvador, the lasting memory of Renderos from this match will be the own goal.
Renderos attempted to deflect the ball out of the path of Carrillo in the 54th minute, but instead he directed Banega's shot past his own goalkeeper.
Had the defender not stepped in front of the shot from the Argentina midfielder, El Salvador might have had a chance at earning a miraculous draw.
Before the own goal struck the net, Argentina were struggling to create chances in the final third. The goal came after a lull in action to start the second half.
Winner: Federico Mancuello
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With time winding down in the second half, substitute Mancuello delivered a brilliant goal from the right wing.
He lofted his free-kick into the left corner of the net on what appeared to be an intentional attempt on goal.
The 88th-minute strike separated Argentina from their CONCACAF opponent on the scoreboard, which failed to represent the true happenings on the pitch on Saturday.
Mancuello also gained an individual boost in the eyes of Martino, who is looking for contributors off the bench ahead of this summer's trip to Chile for the Copa America.
Losers: Gonzalo Higuain and Ezequiel Lavezzi
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Saturday was a day to forget for both Higuain and Ezequiel Lavezzi.
Outside of one or two impressive moves forward in attack, the pair of forwards failed to provide for Argentina against one of the weaker opponents they will face on the international stage in 2015.
Of the two players, Higuain recorded the best chance on goal in the 29th minute, when Carrillo stopped his effort from the left side of the pitch.
Other than that single chance on goal, the pair failed to shine with Messi and Sergio Aguero out of the lineup.
The disappointing showing in the 2-0 win also prevented the pair from showing Martino how well they could link up with the dynamic Tevez in the final third.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
