After their disastrous start to the tournament, Argentina have managed to bounce back, and their opening loss to Saudi Arabia now feels like a distant memory.
Lionel Messi and company finished on top of Group C thanks to victories over Mexico and Poland. They faced Australia in the round of 16 yesterday and unsurprisingly emerged victorious despite a late scare.
It was Messi who, naturally, broke the tie on 35 minutes, while Julián Álvarez scored the second after the break. Enzo Fernández then scored an own goal that offered a temporary glimmer of hope for the Australians.
But what worries Juventus the most is the conspicuous absence of Ángel Di María, who remained on the bench throughout the game.
The winger had been suffering from recurring injury problems since joining the Bianconeri last summer. The 34-year-old has been a regular starter for Argentina since the start of the tournament.
But despite Di Maria’s absence on Saturday, Albiceleste manager Lionel Scaloni still hopes to have the veteran at his disposal in the coming days.
“Ángel couldn’t play tonight, although having him on the bench is always a temptation,” said the Argentine coach after the win against Australia via TuttoJuve.
“We hope that as the days go by he can improve and get involved. Australia was a tough opponent. It is good that everyone understands the difficulty of this competition.”
The South American giants will face the Netherlands in the Quarterfinals next Friday.
