Copa America: Argentina secure knockout berth

The result at the Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasilia moved Argentina atop Group A with seven points from three matches.

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.

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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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