Argentina |
1 - 1
This match has ended. Upcoming related matches:
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Bolivia |
Argentina vs Bolivia Live Streams and TV Channels
| Country | Channels |
|---|---|
| United States | DirecTV, Dish Network |
| Other Countries | |
| Andorra | Esport3 |
| Australia | SBS One Australia |
| Hong Kong | i-Cable Sports |
| Portugal | Sport TV1 |
| South Africa | SuperSport 6 |
| Spain | Esport3 |
| *Don't see your country or favourite channel listed? Let us know and we will include it. | |
Argentina vs Bolivia Delayed and Repeat Broadcasts
| Country | Date/Time (US/Eastern) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Sat, Nov 12 19:00pm | SBS One Australia |
| Portugal | Tue, Nov 15 13:00pm | Sport TV1 |
| South Africa | Sat, Nov 12 14:15pm | SuperSport 3 |
| Sat, Nov 12 20:30pm | SuperSport 7 | |
| Sun, Nov 13 10:30am | SuperSport Maximo | |
| Sun, Nov 13 11:10am | SuperSport 3 | |
| Sun, Nov 13 16:00pm | SuperSport 7 | |
| *Don't see your country or favourite channel listed? Let us know and we will include it. | ||
Argentina vs Bolivia Match Preview
Lionel Messi will hope to fire on all cylinders when Argentina entertain Bolivia in Buenos Aires on Friday.
Lionel Messi is Argentina's main danger man
Since Alejandro Sabella was hired as Argentina coach in August, Argentina have accumulated mixed results. After thrashing Chile 4-1 in their World Cup qualifying opener, they lost 1-0 against Venezuela the week after. It was Argentina's first ever defeat to the Venezuelans, and it mounted heavy pressure on Sabella and his squad.
Argentina know that anything less than the three points against Bolivia would be unacceptable, especially after having been held to an unexpected draw by Bolivia in the inaugurating match of the 2011 Copa America, which they hosted. On that occasion they were under the orders of then-coach Sergio Batista.
For the clash with Bolivia, apart from injured Real Madrid attacker Angel Di Maria, Sabella will be able to count with a full-strength squad. He will utilise a 4-3-3 tactical scheme, with Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain his desired three-man strike-force.
Higuain, who converted a superb hat-trick against Chile, will once again be called upon for Argentina's goals. The striker, who has been equally lethal for his club Real Madrid, admitted that "there are no easy matches" in the World Cup qualifiers, and he recalled that "the last World Cup qualifiers were very complicated," as Argentina struggled before reaching South Africa 2010.
In reference to the upcoming clash with Bolivia, Higuain's Argentina team-mate Jose Sosa said: "They will be very difficult rivals, very difficult, and it will be very important to claim the victory."
Like Argentina, Bolivia have seen better days, and they will be highly pressured to pick up at least a point on their visit to Buenos Aires, after losing their first two World Cup qualifiers. Despite Bolivia's deep struggles, their coach Gustavo Quinteros believes his side could upset the Argentines. In order to achieve this he has made several changes to his squad, with Carlos Arias, Edivaldo Rojas and Edemir Rodriguez returning to the starting eleven.
Bolivia, who last qualified for the World Cup in 1994, have conceded six goals in their first two World Cup qualifiers, and will definitely pack their midfield and defense in an attempt to return home with a point. However, like they proved in the Copa America, they have lots of flair in their attack, and will be very dangerous when breaking on swift counterattacks.
Argentina vs Bolivia Match Report
Ezequiel Lavezzi rescues point for Argentina after another dismal display against Bolivia.
Once again Messi was a non-factor for Argentina
The result was identical to that of the inaugurating match of the 2011 Copa America last July, which also ended in a frustrating draw for Argentina, even if they also came into the match as the overwhelming favourites.
As had been expected, Bolivia set out to play with ten players behind the ball and their plan worked perfectly in the first half, as not even World Player of the Year, Lionel Messi, could break through their rock-solid defense.
A header from Nicolas Burdisso was Argentina's only clear-cut opportunity to open the scoring, before Ecuadorian referee Carlos Vera committed a big mistake in the 21st minute, when he disallowed what seemed to be a legitimate goal from Gonzalo Higuain. Vera signalled a free-kick for Argentina for an earlier foul, not allowing them to play the advantage.
Despite the setback, Argentina continued to dominate their opponents and created two opportunities to score, first a Messi shot was saved by Bolivia goalkeeper Carlos Arias and then a Javier Pastore effort struck the woodwork.
After the break, Argentina continued to press, however, to their disbelief Martins Moreno put the visitors ahead in the 55th minute when he took advantage of a huge defensive error from Martin Demichelis, to fire the ball past Sergio Romero.
The goal meant Argentina had no option but to push their entire side forward, and within four minutes from conceding the goal they were back on level terms. Napoli striker Ezequiel Lavezzi beat Arias with a well-placed shot from the edge of the area, which incidentally was his first touch after entering the field as a substitute.
Inspired by the equaliser, Argentina went in search of the winner, however, they lacked the necessary team-work to break through for a second time. The whole team played as individuals, especially a greedy Lionel Messi, who instead of passing to his team-mates, opted to play on his own.
Argentina created a few good opportunities to win the game late on but they failed to take advantage of them, and had no choice but to settle for a disappointing point. Next week Argentina will have a chance to redeem themselves when they take on Colombia in Round 4 of the South American World Cup qualifiers.
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