agence france presse
La Serena (Chile), June 14: Argentina’s dreams of a first major title in 22 years were given a reality check as Paraguay came from behind to snatch a last-gasp 2-2 draw in a Copa America classic here Saturday night.
Sergio Aguero and captain Lionel Messi looked to have put Argentina on the road to a routine victory in Group B after firing the tournament favourites into a 2-0 first half lead.
But a long-range strike from Nelson Valdez hauled Paraguay back into the contest before Argentine-born forward Lucas Barrios grabbed a dramatic 90th-minute equaliser.
The stunning comeback left Argentina in shock and could complicate their route through the knockout rounds. “It is a sin to give away an equaliser in the final minute,” Argentina coach Gerardo Martino said afterwards, lambasting his team’s ‘neglect’. “We lost control and the other team had four or five chances to get a draw which they eventually did.
“We had many chances to win. We will have to play consistently like the way we played in the first 45 minutes. It was like two different teams in the two sessions,” Martino added.
Paraguay’s goal hero Barrios was jubilant after his team’s heroics. “This group is so tough that getting a draw in the last minute against Argentina is like a victory,” said Barrios, who plays for Montpellier in France.
Argentina, runners-up in the World Cup final last year, are aiming to win their first major tournament since victory in the 1993 Copa America.
They now face a crucial second match Tuesday against holders Uruguay, who struggled to impress in a lacklustre 1-0 win over Caribbean minnows Jamaica earlier in the day.
Uruguay, the defending champions, badly missed their suspended striker Luis Suarez, who is still serving a ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.
La Celeste captain Diego Godin demanded improvement Saturday after a solitary goal from Cristian Rodriguez saved their blushes against the Reggae Boyz.
“It’s a good result to start with, now we need to correct some mistakes,” Godin told ‘Chilean TV’. “It’s very important to win the first game in the Copa America, as it is in any big tournament,” the Atletico Madrid defender added.
Uruguay barely created a chance against Jamaica in the first half. They finally broke the deadlock seven minutes after the break with a cleverly worked set-piece routine. Midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro floated a free-kick from wide on the left for defender Jose Maria Gimenez, who lost his marker to head back into the area for Rodriguez to finish.
