Messi sits, Martinez scores twice, Argentina beats Peru 2-0 to top Copa America Group A

Lionel Messi was not in uniform for Argentina Saturday night, but tens of thousands of fans in the sold out Hard Rock Stadium wore his No. 10 jersey and saw the Albiceleste beat Peru 2-0 to clinch first place in Copa America Group A. Both goals were scored by Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez, who has scored four goals in three games.

Argentina had already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals, so coaches made nine changes to the starting lineup and Messi took the game off to recover from an upper right thigh injury with the hopes he can play in the knockout rounds beginning on Thursday in Houston. Messi was on the bench with his teammates, and when he was shown on the stadium screens, the crowd of 64,972 roared and chanted “Messi! Messi!”

He leaped up to celebrate Martinez’s two goals and was in a good mood whenever the camera panned to him as Argentina dominated from start to finish. Although they took until the second half to find the back of the net, the reigning Copa America and World Cup champions outclassed Peru with their pace and passing. They possessed the ball 74 percent of the game and finished with six shots on goal to one for Peru.

Argentina will be joined by Group A runner up Canada in the knockout rounds and play the second-place team in Group B in the quarterfinals. Heading into the final group games in that group, Venezuela is in the lead with six points and Ecuador and Mexico are tied at three points apiece.

Argentina’s head coach Lionel Scaloni was also missing, as he was serving a one-game suspension for taking too long to get his team on the field for the second half of their first two games against Canada and Chile. Scaloni was fined $15,000. Assistant coach Walter Samuel filled in for Scaloni on the Argentina sideline.

“We are very pleased with the result, and we got a chance to see players who had not played yet,” Samuel said. “Our players were able to remain patient and get the goals in the second half. We have confidence in all 26 players we brought and we are delighted to have won this game. The guys who had been training so hard deserved to play.”

Asked about Messi’s condition and whether he will be ready for the quarterfinals, Samuel said they will take it day to day and there are several days left for him to recuperate. “Leo was in the locker room with us, he seemed better, we spoke to him but it’s premature to discuss his status for the next game,” Samuel said.

Defender German Pezzella was optimistic that Messi would be ready to play on Thursday.

“Hopefully he can get to 100 percent quickly,” Pezzella said. “We see him in a very good mood and he gives us the feeling that he’ll be with us next game.”

Angel Di Maria, who will retire from the national team after this Copa America, wore the captain’s armband in the absence of Messi. He enjoyed a sweet moment before the game, as his young daughter, Mia, walked out hand in hand with him and they stood side by side for the national anthem. Afterward, he gave her a kiss on the forehead.

“Unfortunately, I only get to wear it when something is wrong with Leo (Messi) and that I don’t like, but it was a special night,” Di Maria said. “And, each time I have worn it we have won, so for that I am very happy. There isn’t much time left for me, so to be able to enjoy it with my family, with my daughter on the field was something very nice.”

Di Maria said the team felt at home in South Florida, and has been touched by the huge crowds in Miami, New Jersey and Atlanta.

“We always feel like the home team,” he said. “The stadiums are full wherever we go and that is why we want to give the fans the maximum in every game to make them happy. We know the tickets are not cheap and it isn’t easy to get to where we are, so to be able to give them some happiness is very meaningful for us.”

With the quarterfinal berth in hand, Argentina’s coaching staff chose to make major lineup changes against Peru. The only two starters from the previous game were goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and defender Nicolas Tagliafico.

The rest of Argentina’s Starting XI were: Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Gonzalo Montiel, Leandro Paredes, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Lautaro Martinez, Alejandro Garnacho, and Di Maria.

“Our team has not changed since the World Cup, we keep working the same way and we showed (Saturday) that the younger players played and the team did not suffer,” Di Maria said. “That’s very important for the coach to know that everyone is available to play.”

Peru’s starters were: Pedro Gallese, Carlos Zambrano, Alexander Callens, Oliver Sonne, Aldo Corzo, Bryan Reyna, Sergio Pena, Wilder Cartagena, Marcos Lopez, Edison Flores and Paolo Guerrero. Ando Polo was scheduled to start, but he felt discomfort during warmups and was replaced by Sonne.

The game was tied 0-0 at halftime. Argentina dominated possession 79 percent to 21 percent and had three shots on goal while Peru had none but Peru goalkeeper Gallese, who plays for MLS club Orlando City, made three big saves in the first half to keep the Peruvians in the game. Gallese made a save on a Paredes free kick, and also thwarted shots by DiMaria and Garnacho.

Argentina came out on time after intermission, took control right away, and Martinez struck two minutes into the second half to give Argentina a 1-0 lead. He collected a through ball from DiMaria and scored on a right footed shot from the center of the box over Gallese to the right corner. The Inter Milan forward scored again in the closing minutes with another chip shot.

Martinez has scored in all three Copa America games. He came off the bench and scored in the 88th minute in a 2-0 win against Canada, and again in the 88th minute to salvage a 1-0 victory against Chile.

After the game, Martinez shared how gratifying this tournament has been after suffering through an ankle injury during the Qatar World Cup.

“Obviously, I enjoyed the World Cup with my teammates because it was my first one but it was tough time with a lot of sadness because my ankle was bothering me alot,” he said. “There were moments I wanted to have surgery because I couldn’t stand the pain. But now I can enjoy with my family because I worked hard to make up for that World Cup and get to where I am now.”

Argentina is seeking its third major title after winning the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup.

With the loss, Peru was eliminated from the tournament.

“Our production today was the weakest of our three games,” said Peru coach Jorge Fossati. “That has a few reasons. The first is the quality of the opponent. That is indisputable. They have players of very high caliber. Also, we played against a fresher team and physically we suffered after the game against Canada, which was played in a very hot stadium and we finished with 10 men. We couldn’t play our game (against Argentina) and didn’t have the legs we needed.”