This archive report was first published on 22 June 2021.
Argentina's Lionel Messi made history by equalling Javier Mascherano's record of 147 games for the national team as they secured their spot in the quarter-finals of the Copa America with a 1-0 win over Paraguay on June 21, 2021.
The victory in Brasilia marked Argentina's second 1-0 win in a row in the tournament and their 16th match without defeat since losing in the Copa America semi-final in 2019.
Argentina's top spot in Group A was secured with seven points from three games, leaving them two points ahead of Chile, four ahead of Paraguay, and six ahead of Uruguay.
Paraguay, who had never beaten Argentina over 90 minutes in the Copa America, were up against it from the start, with Alejandro Gomez scoring the winning goal in the 10th minute.
"Angel's pass was great," Gomez said. "I just had to get my foot under it and put it away."
Argentina thought they had a second goal when Junior Alonso deflected a cross into his own net, but the goal was disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Paraguay came out more positive in the second half, but despite enjoying the bulk of possession, they could not turn it into chances.
Argentina's Sergio Aguero made his first international start since November 2019 but was anonymous up front, while Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria stood out with their busy presence in the Paraguayan half.
Both Messi and Di Maria drew fouls from their opponents, who committed 23 fouls to Argentina's 11.
