Copa America : Lautaro Martinez brace sinks Peru
►► Lautaro Martinez scored two second-half goals as Argentina eased to a 2-0 win over Peru in their final Copa America group stage match here on Saturday.
Miami| Martinez put Argentina ahead in the 47th-minute at Hard Rock Stadium by running onto Angel Di Maria’s superb one-touch pass and calmly lifting his shot over goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
Leandro Paredes missed the chance to double the lead when he sent a penalty attempt crashing off the right post after a Jesus Castillo hand ball.
Argentina attacked relentlessly in the final minutes and Martinez put the result beyond doubt as he nonchalantly shook off his marker on the edge of the penalty area before again chipping the ball over Gallese.
The Inter Milan striker has now scored seven goals in his past six outings for the Albiceleste, including four in this tournament.
The result means Argentina finished top of Group A with nine points, five points ahead of second-placed Canada. Chile and Peru were eliminated, having both failed to register a victory from their three matches.
« We’re happy with how we’re playing because three wins in this group was never going to be easy » Martinez said after the match.
« The first half was difficult but the game opened up after halftime and we were able to assert ourselves.»
In Saturday’s other match, Canada and Chile played out a goalless draw at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando. Chile were forced to play for more than an hour with only 10 men after Gabriel Suazo picked up two yellow cards in the space of 15 minutes for bad challenges.
by Xinhua
