No Messi, No Problem As Argentina Crush Canada

It was the perfect farewell for Diego Maradona and Argentina on the eve of the country’s Bicentennial in front of a sell-out crowd at the Estadio Monumental, home of Club Atletico River Plate.

From the outset, Maradona’s men were the superior side, and even without Lionel Messi, Argentina made short work of the Canadians in a 5-0 romp.

Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos Tevez were handed starting roles up front, with Palermo’s Javier Pastore winning his first cap operating in the playmakers position in place of the injured Messi.

In the midfield, Javier Mascherano served as the anchor in front of the back four, allowing Angel Di Maria and Maxi Rodriguez to get forward.

At the back, Nicholas Burdisso and Nicholas Otamendi stepped in for starting duo Walter Samuel and Martin Demichelis, while Jonas Gutierrez played at rightback, with Gabriel Heinze on the other flank.

Sergio Romero held down the Argentina goal, and the AZ Alkmaar man had an easy day at the office against the weak Canada team.

Early on, it was Tevez who looked the most threatening in a bid to fight his way into the starting line up. The former Boca man saw plenty of time on the ball, but was also keen to run and hurry the Canadians when he was not in possession.

On 16 minutes, Javier Pastore won a free kick right on the edge of the penalty area in what looked like a clear penalty. Maxi Rodriguez, who was starting in place of Juan Sebastian Veron, who was rested after playing for Estudiantes last Thursday, blasted a blistering shot from the dead ball to open the scoring.

Argentina’s second came 16 minutes later, when Higuain started a move inside his own half before being disposed after alluding a tackler, but the loose ball fell to Tevez who played in Maxi to score his second and 12th career international goal.

Five minutes later, Argentina had its third through Di Maria, with a brilliant left footed shot from outside the area. The 22-year-old Di Maria has been tipped by many pundits to be a break out player in South Africa after being voted the Best Player in the Portuguese League, and the Benfica man strutted his stuff in front of the home crowd in a Man of the Match performance.

After the break, Juan Veron entered the fray for the injured Maxi Rodriguez, and was a calming influence on the team that had been dominant, albeit a bit rushed at times, during the first half.

Gonzalo Higuain, who may be under pressure for his starting spot from Diego Milito, missed a few chances, including blasting over the bar with his left foot after being freed by Di Maria, but the Real Madrid man unselfishly set up Tevez for Argentina’s fourth on 62 minutes.

Tevez’s goal sparked mass substitutions, as both Higuain and El Apache exited in favor of Martin Palermo and Sergio “El Kun” Aguero.

Just moments after coming on, Aguero was freed down the right on the counter-attack by Pastore, and the Atletico Madrid man scored a brilliant solo goal, completing the rout.

Late on, Di Maria picked out Palermo, who was cheered for louder than any other player of the day, headed wide in what should have been the sixth goal leaving the fans pleading for the 36-year-old to get a goal that would not come.

Maradona and Argentina must obviously keep the match against such a poor opponent in perspective, but Maradona will have a hard time ignoring the performances by some of his players.

Maxi Rodriguez was one of the last names on the list, but scored twice. Does he merit a spot against Nigeria, or will Veron, who played equally well, albeit in a different role, keep his position?

Carlos Tevez will almost certainly be a starter after such a strong performance in nearly 70 minutes on the field, while Higuain was also impressive, even if his shooting failed him at times.

Maradona must now figure out a way to incorporate Messi into his team, perhaps replacing the impressive Pastore behind a front two of Tevez and Higuain or Diego Milito.

Where does Kun Aguero fit into his father-in-law's plans after such a stunning strike? He will certainly have a tough time cracking the first 11, but the former Independiente striker will be a good option off the bench. 

At rightback, Jonas Gutierrez, who played one match there during qualifying against Peru, was one of Argentina’s best performers and could force Maradona to scrap his idea of playing with four centerbacks.

All told, it was a great day for Argentina and Argentine fans, who must now look forward to South Africa where they will be one of the favorites. With 17 days still to go, the understanding between Argentina’s attacking players can only get better, a scary sign for those who will stand in their path.