Sampaoli finally gets it right

Argentina profited from a line-up on Tuesday that was set up to propel Jorge Sampaoli’s high-press game. He had been criticised heavily for fielding the ‘wrong’ elevens in the first two games.

He made five changes from the side that suffered a 3-0 humiliation against Croatia. Goalkeeper Franco Armani made his international debut, replacing the fumbling Willy Caballero while Eduardo Salvio, Marcos Acuna, Maximiliano Meza and Sergio Aguero made way for Marcos Rojo, Ever Banega, Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain.

Banega, the 29-year-old Sevilla midfielder, not starting in the first two games had come in for criticism as Lionel Messi was left

isolated without passes. The midfield, which looked fragile against Croatia, had a entirely different feel to it as Banega helped control proceedings alongside Enzo Perez and Mascherano.

With a four-man backline and three forwards up front – Di

Maria started on the left and Gonzalo Higuain in the middle with Messi on the right – the midfield trio held sway in the middle.

In the 14th minute, it was Banega’s pinpoint long ball from the centre that found Messi, whose right-footed finish handed Argentina a muchneeded early lead.

Also a turning point was when Sampaoli replaced Di Maria with Meza on the left before bringing on Sergio Aguero for Higuain with 10 minutes left.

Arguably the most lethal finisher in the team alongside Messi, it was Aguero who dragged away two defenders, allowing

Rojo to roam into the box unmarked and score the winner off Gabriel Mercado’s rightwing cross.

On a night when failure wasn’t an option, Sampaoli finally got his tactics right.

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