Argentina beat Paraguay 1-0 on Monday, securing a place in the Copa America knockout stage. Papu Gómez scored in the 10th minute.
Argentina topped Group A with seven points from three games after the victory at the Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasilia.
Lionel Messi earned his 147th cap for Argentina in this match, equaling the record set by veteran defender Javier Mascherano.
After a 1-1 tie with Uruguay, Chile sits in the second place in the group with five points (5). Paraguay has three points (3), Uruguay has one (1), and Bolivia has none (0).
Captain Messi had to deal with a side that featured six changes in the starting lineup while chasing his first major title with the national team.
Defenders Germán Pezzella and Nicolás Tagliafico, midfielders Rodrigo de Paul and Leandro Paredes; and forwards Sergio Aguero and Ángel di Maria started. Nicolás Otamendi, Marcos Acuña, Leandro Paredes, Giovani Lo Celso, Lautaro Martínez, and Nico González were left out of the starting lineup.
Argentina made a solid start despite the adjustments. Messi found Di Maria on the right side of the field early in the game, and the experienced winger escaped the Paraguayan defenders with a pass to Gómez. The striker beat Paraguay goalkeeper Antony Silva with a powerful shot.
In the first half, Argentina forced Silva to make crucial stops, but the team’s vigour dropped in the second half, as it has in several recent games.
Argentina’s final group-stage match will be against Bolivia on Monday. On Thursday, Paraguay will face Chile. Each five-team group will advance to the next round.
