Sao Paulo: Papu Gómez scored in the 10th minute as Argentina beat Paraguay 1-0 and secured their place in the Copa America knockout stage.
The result at the Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasilia moved Argentina atop Group A with seven points from three matches. The game also gave Lionel Messi a record 147th cap for the national team, equalling the mark of retired defender Javier Mascherano.
Chile, which also advanced to the quarterfinals, are second in the group with five points after the 1-1 draw with Uruguay. Paraguay has three points, followed by Uruguay (1) and Bolivia (0).
Captain Messi, seeking his first major title with the national team, had to work with a team impacted by six changes in the starting lineup.
Defenders Germán Pezzella and Nicolás Tagliafico, midfielders Rodrigo de Paul and Leandro Paredes; and forwards Sergio Aguero and Ángel di Maria started. Nicolás Otamendi, Marcos Acuña, Leandro Paredes, Giovani Lo Celso, Lautaro Martínez and Nico González were left out of the starting lineup.
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