El Salvador vs. Argentina: Score, Grades, Reaction from International Friendly
Argentina and El Salvador served up a drab affair on Saturday at Washington's FedEx Field, with the 2014 World Cup finalists winning 2-0 in an international friendly.
El Salvador deserve a lot of credit for keeping the Albiceleste attack in check, but Argentina did little to trouble the minnows, already focusing on Tuesday's meeting with Ecuador.
As reported before the match, the biggest star of them all would not start for Argentina, as Lionel Messi suffered a minor injury in training, per Goal:
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The crowd at FedEx Field certainly favoured El Salvador, with many expats living in the area, and they were treated to an embarrassing mistake from the staff in charge of leading the event.
As shared by ESPN FC's Sam Kelly, they were treated to the wrong national anthem:
International friendlies have a reputation for often being dull, bland affairs, and the first half of Saturday's clash was no different. El Salvador were well-organised at the back but hardly ventured forward, while Argentina seemed disinterested in playing altogether.
Gonzalo Higuain had a chance early to give his team the lead, as he was left wide-open on a looping cross. His header went well over the bar, however, setting the tone for the half.
Arturo Alvarez wanted a penalty after five minutes for a nudge in the back, and replays showed there was definitely contact. The Videoton winger provided most of the danger for El Salvador, but the Albiceleste defence was hardly troubled.
The next 20 minutes were mainly filled with Argentina passing the ball around, and pundits like Kelly resorted to other ways in order to stay entertained:
FedEx Field was plagued by wind, badly affecting crosses, but Higuain found some space in the box after 30 minutes, drawing a save from Derby Carrillo.
Argentina continued to work the ball around, and when Ezequiel Lavezzi was cut down just outside the box, Angel Di Maria's resulting free-kick forced Carrillo into another fine save near the post.
The stopper earned a special mention from The Washington Post's Steven Goff at half-time:
Carlos Tevez had the final chance of the first half, but his chip was well-read by Carrillo. Kelly was impressed with how the underdogs handled the World cup finalists from a defensive perspective:
He also noticed half-time took far longer than the usual 15 minutes:
Tevez fired the first chance of the second half just wide of the left post, but El Salvador's resolve would soon give in. Carrillo was playing a fantastic match, and unfortunately for the goalkeeper, Ever Banega's long-range shot took a massive deflection, leaving the 27-year-old without a chance.
Officials would later change Banega's shot to an own goal from Nestor Renderos, per B/R Football:
"Argentina's goal officially goes down as an own goal on El Salvador's Nestor Renderos.
— B/R Football (@br_football) March 28, 2015"
The goal seemed to liberate the Argentinians, who pushed for a second to put the game away. Tevez came very close after just two minutes, drawing another fine save from Carrillo with a stinging drive.
The Juventus man was by far the most dangerous player on the pitch, but his finishing left him down on Saturday. As noted by Kelly, Argentina were perhaps more active in the attacking third, but only just somewhat:
Mateo Musacchio forced Carrillo into another save with a fine header, and Tevez fired a shot that may have cleared the stands from the centre of the box, as El Salvador's defence started to tire.
The wind combined with the poor showing on the pitch made for a horrific experience in the stands, per Goff:
Federico Mancuello eventually doubled the Alibeceleste lead with a superb free-kick minutes from the final whistle, effectively ending the match.
Before the match, manager Gerardo Martino clarified his position on the fact some of his European-based players may not be available for the start of the upcoming Copa America, per Marca, and it was obvious the former Barcelona manager tried to hand a few of the other players a chance against El Salvador:
"The players are really looking forward to playing in the Copa America, as well at the Champions League, for example.
It's important for us to have our players available from the start. It won't be an easy decision, but things happening on this side of the world are rarely taken into consideration
"
Saturday's result was hardly convincing, but it's important to note this was just an international friendly and one that comes at a particularly bad time. Top stars such as Messi, Tevez and Higuain are focused on their European and domestic campaigns with their respective clubs, and it's only natural for them not to play their hardest in a match that ultimately means very little.
Tuesday's friendly against Ecuador in New Jersey will teach us a little more about Martino's team, with Messi likely to start against a fellow 2014 World Cup side.
Relevant Match Grades
Gonzalo Higuain: D
Higuain's struggles with the national tema are going from bad to worse. On a day where all fowards were having trouble finding the net, the Napoli man stood out as the worst of the bunch. Virtually invisible throughout the match, Higuain could not have done much worse.
Carlos Tevez: C
As stated earlier, the Argentina forwards had a rough afternoon, but at least Tevez was active and engaged. The Juventus striker brings energy and a high defensive work-rate, which has to count for something.
Derby Carrillo: A
It was hard not to feel bad for Carrillo when Banega's shot took such a wicked deflection and landed in the back of the net. The Santa Tecla goalkeeper was outstanding on Saturday, and an easy pick for the Man of the Match award.
Post-Match Reaction
After the match, all attention obviously went to Messi and whether or not he would play against Ecuador. Manager Martino explained his decision to keep him on the bench, per Barcastuff:
"Martino (coach ARG): "Tests didn't show anything, but Messi's foot still hurts. No risks. If it continues, he won't play on Tuesday either."
— barcastuff (@barcastuff) March 28, 2015"
As shared by FC Barcelona Fl, he won't make any definitive statements on his availability for Tuesday's match:
