Associated Press
Seattle, June 15: By the time Lionel Messi checked in at half time, Erik Lamela, Ezequiel Lavezzi and the rest of his teammates had Argentina well on their way to the top spot in Group D and a place in the quarterfinals of the Copa America here Tuesday.
Lamela and Lavezzi scored two minutes apart early in the first half, Victor Cuesta scored his first international goal later in the half and Argentina dominated Bolivia 3-0 to be the only team in the entire tournament to win all three group games.
Also making it to the last eight stage were defending champions Chile, a 4-2 winner over Panama in another game played on the day at Philadelphia.
Messi was subbed on at the beginning of the second half for his most extensive game action since Barcelona beat Sevilla 2-0 to win the Copa del Rey, May 22. He relaxed on the bench in the first half as the spectators chanted his name as his mates sealed a quarterfinal encounter with Venezuela.
“People want to see him play and pay all over the world to do that and he has to deal with that,” Argentina manager Gerardo Martino said through an interpreter after the game. “Sometimes he has to play and sometimes he has to be on the bench. He has to live with that.”
The closest Messi came to finding the net was a free-kick from 30 yards early in the second half that teased the far post but didn’t curl enough. Bolivia’s Diego Bejarano was Messi’s shadow, ignoring anyone else in white with the ball and focusing just on No. 10.
Bolivia played with a defensive posture all night, but it held for all of 13 minutes until Lamela’s free-kick deflected off the back of Yasmani Duk and left Lampe moving the wrong direction as the shot found the net.
Two minutes later, Gonzalo Higuain headed down a cross that was saved by Lampe but directed right to Lavezzi who pounded the loose ball into the goal. And a few minutes later it was all over for Bolivia bar the shouting as Cuesta got his first international goal.
Meanwhile in Philadelphia, Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas both scored twice for Chile. The defending Copa America champions responded to the shock of falling behind to a shock Miguel Camargo goal after only five minutes with two goals by Vargas before Arsenal star Sanchez grabbed a third in the Group D game. He added his second in the 89th minute to complete the
scoring.
The Chileans will meet Group C winners Mexico in the quarterfinals, Saturday.
