The start of the Argentina U-19 National Team in the South American Games was not as expected. At the Marcelo Bielsa Stadium in Rosario, the team led by Diego Placente let slip a lead they had gained in the first half and ended up losing 2-1 to Paraguay in their debut in Group B.
During the first few minutes, the national team managed to impose their conditions and found spaces to approach the opponent's goal. This superiority was reflected on the scoreboard at 19 minutes, when Franco Domínguez appeared inside the area and finished with precision to establish the 1-0.
With the lead, Argentina managed to control the flow of the match and showed good passages in ball circulation. However, despite having opportunities to extend the lead, they failed to translate their dominance into a second goal and left the door open for a Paraguayan reaction.
In the second half, Paraguay pushed their lines forward, increased the intensity, and began to contest every ball with greater aggression. At 59 minutes, Junior Gamarra took advantage of a loose ball in the area and scored the equalizer.
The equalizer completely changed the match, and the Albirroja quickly took advantage of the momentum. Just six minutes later, at 65, Pedro Zarza finished off a quick offensive action brilliantly to put the 2-1 and turn the game around.
Although Argentina tried to react in the final stretch and the coach made substitutions to add presence in attack, the team lacked precision in the final meters and could not find the way to equalize. Meanwhile, Paraguay held the result with an organized defense and managed to neutralize the national team's attempts.
With the defeat, the Albiceleste began their participation in the tournament without earning any points and is now obliged to recover quickly to maintain their aspirations of advancing to the semifinals. The next challenge will be this Saturday, September 19 at 3 PM (Argentina time), again against a strong opponent: Uruguay. There, Argentina will need to secure a victory to settle in a Group B that started with an unexpected blow.
