LA PLATA, Argentina: Sergio Aguero scored on a soaring volley in the 76th minute as Argentina, bidding to end a trophy drought going back to 1993, kicked off the 43rd Copa America with a disappointing 1-1 draw with minnows Bolivia at La Plata outside Buenos Aires.
Bolivia weathered a first-half storm at the Ciudad de La Plata stadium and shocked Argentina two minutes into the second-half when Jhasmany Campos hit a corner low to the near post where striker Edivaldo Rojas back-heeled it past goalkeeper Sergio Romero.
With the game heading into the closing stages, Argentina equalised when defender Nicolas Burdisso chested down a cross from Marcos Rojo and Aguero volleyed home.
“This makes us sad because we did not achieve our objective, which was to win,” Argentina’s Lionel Messi said. “We did things well, but we have to improve.”
It was a stuttering start for coach Sergio Batista and hosts Argentina, who were out-hustled for much of the Group A match, and did little to justify their tag as joint favorite for the South American championship, along with Brazil.
The hosts dominated the first 10 minutes, but after that Bolivia began out-working the Argentines at midfield and winning more possession.
“The referee let them get away with some things,” forward Carlos Tevez said. “But we can’t blame him. We did not play well.”
Aguero added that “it was difficult and we have to be more relaxed and correct some things. They complicated things defending like they were.”
Messi, regarded by many as the world’s best player, again failed to translate his stunning club form with Barcelona onto the international stage. He seldom threatened to score or set up goals.
“I don’t want to play like Barcelona, that is very difficult,” Batista said.
Batista’s men came into the tournament under pressure to deliver the goods after their humiliating World Cup defeat at the hands of Germany last summer in South Africa, a loss which saw Batista’s former 1986 World Cup-winning teammate Diego Maradona dispensed with as coach.
On Friday, the albiceleste were also mindful of an even worse, if somewhat less public, humiliation which Bolivia visited upon them in the World Cup qualifiers in the pair’s last meeting — a 6-1 hiding in La Paz in April 2009, albeit at high altitude.
Although Brazil, who start their campaign at La Plata on Sunday (today) against Venezuela, have won only eight continental crowns to 14 for Argentina and Uruguay, they have bagged four of the last five editions — Colombia interrupting the sequence in 2001.
However hard both Argentina and Brazil will vie for regional dominance here over the coming month, both countries have an eye primarily on moulding a team for the 2014 World Cup, which Brazil will host for the first time since 1950.
Even so, Batista, who led the Olympic team to gold in Beijing three years ago, has resolved to prevent a third straight Brazilian triumph in the competition at the hosts’ expense. The samba stars defeated this year’s hosts in both of the last two finals.
[Courtesy The News International]
Bolivia weathered a first-half storm at the Ciudad de La Plata stadium and shocked Argentina two minutes into the second-half when Jhasmany Campos hit a corner low to the near post where striker Edivaldo Rojas back-heeled it past goalkeeper Sergio Romero.
With the game heading into the closing stages, Argentina equalised when defender Nicolas Burdisso chested down a cross from Marcos Rojo and Aguero volleyed home.
“This makes us sad because we did not achieve our objective, which was to win,” Argentina’s Lionel Messi said. “We did things well, but we have to improve.”
It was a stuttering start for coach Sergio Batista and hosts Argentina, who were out-hustled for much of the Group A match, and did little to justify their tag as joint favorite for the South American championship, along with Brazil.
The hosts dominated the first 10 minutes, but after that Bolivia began out-working the Argentines at midfield and winning more possession.
“The referee let them get away with some things,” forward Carlos Tevez said. “But we can’t blame him. We did not play well.”
Aguero added that “it was difficult and we have to be more relaxed and correct some things. They complicated things defending like they were.”
Messi, regarded by many as the world’s best player, again failed to translate his stunning club form with Barcelona onto the international stage. He seldom threatened to score or set up goals.
“I don’t want to play like Barcelona, that is very difficult,” Batista said.
Batista’s men came into the tournament under pressure to deliver the goods after their humiliating World Cup defeat at the hands of Germany last summer in South Africa, a loss which saw Batista’s former 1986 World Cup-winning teammate Diego Maradona dispensed with as coach.
On Friday, the albiceleste were also mindful of an even worse, if somewhat less public, humiliation which Bolivia visited upon them in the World Cup qualifiers in the pair’s last meeting — a 6-1 hiding in La Paz in April 2009, albeit at high altitude.
Although Brazil, who start their campaign at La Plata on Sunday (today) against Venezuela, have won only eight continental crowns to 14 for Argentina and Uruguay, they have bagged four of the last five editions — Colombia interrupting the sequence in 2001.
However hard both Argentina and Brazil will vie for regional dominance here over the coming month, both countries have an eye primarily on moulding a team for the 2014 World Cup, which Brazil will host for the first time since 1950.
Even so, Batista, who led the Olympic team to gold in Beijing three years ago, has resolved to prevent a third straight Brazilian triumph in the competition at the hosts’ expense. The samba stars defeated this year’s hosts in both of the last two finals.
[Courtesy The News International]
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