Paraguay take an early lead in Group A as Argentina and Chile draw

Paraguay were the big winners from the first round of fixtures in Group A of the CONMEBOL Copa America 2021. Argentin and Chile shared the points while the Albirroja pulled ahead thanks to a 3-1 win against Bolivia.

Lionel Messi opened the scoring with a spectacular freekick but Chile equalized thanks to a close range header from prolific Copa America scorer Eduardo Vargas.

Although Lionel Scaloni’s team had the better chances to secure the win, a combination of wasteful finishing and an impressive Bravo display meant they had to settle for a draw.

NUMBERS FROM THE GAME

• Argentina are now eleven gmaes unbeaten against Chile in all competitions (6 wins, 5 draws). The ‘Albiceleste’ has never lost to ‘La Roja’ in the history of the CONMEBOL Copa America (21 wins, 8 draws).

• Argentina has not lost in eight matches across the CONMEBOL Copa America and the South American Qualifiers (4 wins, 4 draws), despite having drawn their last 3 games. Their last defeat was 2-0 against Brazil in the 2019 CONMEBOL Copa America 2019.

• Chile drew 1-1 for the third consecutive time in CONMEBOL competitions; this was the result against Bolivia and Argentina in the qualifiers as well as tonight. This also ended a streak of two consecutive defeats in the Copa America.

• Lionel Messi scored his third free-kick in the CONMEBOL Copa América: the two previous strikes came against Panama and the United States both in the 2016 edition. The Argentine captain went 1672 days without scoring directly from a dead ball for the side.

• Chile’s Eduardo Vargas scored his 13th goal in the CONMEBOL Copa América from 19 matches. He is now four goals away from the competition’s top scorers: Zizinho of Brazil and Norberto Méndez of Argentina who both have 17. In addition, he is record top scorer for ‘La Roja’ in the tournament.

Paraguay, the early leader in Group A

After a fairly flat start, the Albirroja was able to turn the game around and secure an important 3-1 win to start the CONMEBOL Copa America on the front foot.

Erwin Saavedra gave Bolivia the lead from the penalty spot but a goal from Alejandro Romero Gamarra and two from Ángel Romero helped Paraguay to the win.

Eduardo Berrizo’s men will enjoy their upcoming rest fixutre in the knowledge that they already have three important points in the bank.

Bolivia started well but faded, particularly once they went down to 10 men. They will hope to bounce back with a win next Friday when they meet Chile.

NUMBERS FROM THE GAME

• Paraguay has only lost one of the eleven games they have played against Bolivia in the CONMEBOL Copa América (8 win, 2 draws). Their one defeat came in 1963 played in Bolivia. They are unbeaten in their last 4 games against Bolivia (2 wins, 2 draws).

• Bolivia opened the scoring in today’s game from the penalty spot, breaking a streak of three consecutive games without scoring against the Paraguay in the CONMEBOL Copa América. The last goal they scored against Paraguay in the tournament came in March 1963.

• Ángel Romero is the first Paraguayan player to score twice in a Copa América game since Salvador Cabañas (2) and Roque Santa Cruz (3) in the 2007 edition during a 5-0 win against Colombia.

• Alejandro Romero Gamarra created 10 goalscoring opportunities for Paraguay. No player has created as many chances (passes leading to a shot) in a CONMEBOL Copa América match since 2007.

• Paraguay had 34 attempts on goal against Bolivia. This is the most for any team in a CONMEBOL Copa América match since 2007. In fact, no team has had more than 30 shots during this period.

Data: OPTA