60’ ARG 2-1 CRC
Argentina sub: IN- Paredes OUT- Mac Allister
56’ GOOALL! ARG 2-1 CRC! MAC ALLISTER SCORES!
Di Maria swings in a good cross from an Argentina corner. Otamendi wins the header and the ball goes towards Tagliafico, whose header hits the crossbar and comes back into play. But the danger remains as the ball falls to Mac Allister, who heads the ball inside the net. And just like that, Argentina has the lead, scoring two goals in four minutes.
53’ ARG 1-1 CRC
Argentina almost takes the lead courtesy of Alvarez’s first-time shot but it whistles above the crossbar.
52’ GOOALL! ARG 1-1 CRC! DI MARIA WITH A STUNNER!
Angel Di Maria comes clutch again for his country. This time, he shows his class from a freekick as he goes for goal directly from the set-piece. It is a perfect connection with the ball as it flies and rattles the roof of the net. Navas dives at full-stretch but cannot get his hand to it. This is Di Maria’s 30th goal for his country.
51’ ARG 0-1 CRC
Navas to the rescue again for Costa Rica. Di Maria finds Enzo inside the box, who shoots first-time. But Navas makes an excellent save to tip the ball out for a corner. A brilliant save from the veteran.
50‘ ARG 0-1 CRC
Relentless pressure from Argentina but the Costa Rica defence is still standing strong. They are defending as an unit.
46’ ARG 0-1 CRC
Di Maria floats a cross towards the back-post, with the hope of finding Garnacho but the Manchester United player could not reach to the ball in time, as it goes out for a goalkick.
Second-half!
Costa Rica leads Argentina 1-0 as the second-half gets underway at the United Airlines Field at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.
March 27, 2024 09:27
HALFTIME
Half-time!
Manfred Ugalde’s goal keeps Costa Rica in a 1-0 lead against Argentina at the break. Noot many predicted this scoreline.
We will be back after a break. Stay tuned for live updates from the second-half!
March 27, 2024 09:25
YELLOW CARD
45+2’ ARG 0-1 CRC
Argentina booking: Nahuel Molina is shown a yellow card for a cynical challenge on Zamora near the touchline.
45+2’ ARG 0-1 CRC
Di Maria puts in a floating cross inside the Costa Rica box from the freekick, with Garnacho getting at the end of it. He goes for a cutback from the left but Ugalde is there to clear the ball.
45’ ARG 0-1 CRC
Two minutes added at the end of the first-half!
45’ ARG 0-1 CRC
Garnacho does well to find Enzo from the left flank, but the latter does not get enough time to position his body and get a shot away.
45’ ARG 0-1 CRC
Alcocer shoots from distance but it is a weak effort, as the ball rolls out of play.
43’ ARG 0-1 CRC
Molina finds Enzo with a cutback from the right flank, with the latter going from a first-time shot. However, it is not a good connection from the Chelsea midfielder and ends up skying his effort.
41’ ARG 0-1 CRC
Di Maria passes the ball to Molina, who had made the overlap. Molina goes in for a low and hard cross from the right but nothing comes off it.
38’ ARG 0-1 CRC
Lassiter puts in a good cross inside the Argentina box from a freekick. Calvo gets at the end of the cross and tries to work Benitez with a header. However, his effort is not on target and the ball goes out for a goalkick.
34’ GOOALL! ARG 0-1 CRC! UGALDE SCORES!
This is exactly what Argetina would have feared, after not doing better with its attacks. Ugalde has scored completely against the run of play and now the pressure is on the Albiceleste.
Argentina, pressing high, is caught out of position as Ugalde launches a counter-attack. He had Zamora in support and releases the ball for him. Zamora gets inside the Argentina box and goes for a low shot. Benitez makes the save but cannot do anything about the rebound, as Ugalde taps the ball inside the net from close-distance.
32’ ARG 0-0 CRC
Di Maria’s backheel allows Molina to put in a driving cross inside the Costa Rica box, but Cascante is positioned well to intercept and the send the ball out for a corner.
31’ ARG 0-0 CRC
It is Di Maria who goes for a direct shot from the freekick. He gets the ball over the wall but cannot beat Navas, who catches the ball with relative ease.
30’ ARG 0-0 CRC
Lo Celso is brought down by Aguilera and Argentina has a freekick in a dangerous area. This is prime Lionel Messi territory but he is not there for the Argentines today.
28’ ARG 0-0 CRC
And just like that, Costa Rica could have scored a goal against the run of play. Ugalde gets at the end of a cross from a corner, rising above everyone to get a header away at goal. However, the effort is straight at Argentine debutant Walter Benitez, who does well to keep his composure and hold on to the ball.
26’ ARG 0-0 CRC
Argentina has the perfect chance to put Costa Rica under pressure. Lo Celso leads the attack but he dwells on the ball for too long and ends up losing the ball.
23’ ARG 0-0 CRC
Argentina comes close to scoring again, this time from a freekick. Otamendi gets at the end of an excellent cross from the left and his header is on target. But Navas comes good again for his team, making a brilliant save from a point-blank range.
21’ ARG 0-0 CRC
Garnacho looks to be a menace on the left and this time, he goes for a shot across the face of the goal. Navas saves the shot with a solid pair of hands. The rebound falls to Enzo, who shoots at goal but his effort is blocked.
20’ ARG 0-0 CRC
Costa Rica looks to stitch its first proper attack in the match. Ugalde leads the charge but he is fouled by Molina. But Costa Rica keeps possession and the referee plays the advantage. However, the Costa Rica cannot create anything from it.
17’ ARG 0-0 CRC
Alavarez uses his pace to race towards the Costa Rica goal after getting at the end of a through ball. Once inside the box, he goes for a grounded shot. He connects well but the angle was tight, making it relatively easier for Navas to make the save, sending the ball out for a corner.
Nothing comes from the resulting corner.
13’ ARG 0-0 CRC
Garnacho tries to slip in Enzo with a weighted pass from the left flank but overhits his pass, as the ball goes out of play.
11’ ARG 0-0 CRC
As expected, Argentina is having most of the ball and looks more threatening but Costa Rica’s defence has stood strong till now. In the latest move, Di Maria gets the ball at the right edge of the box and attempts a curler. But his shot is blocked.
6’ ARG 0-0 CRC
Costa Rica’s Ugalde tries to start a counter-attack, passing the ball to Quiros on the left, who had made an overlapping run. But Garnacho does well to track back and put Quiros under pressure, hence stopping the counter.
3’ ARG 0-0 CRC
Argentina surges forward as Julian Alvarez leads the charge. He reaches the edge of the Costa Rica box and tries to thread a pass to Enzo Fernandez but his pass is cut out.
1’ ARG 0-0 CRC
Costa Rica is going for the high press right from the start but Argentina has the quality to soak the pressure and keep possession.
Kick-off!
The international friendly between Argentina and Costa Rica has kicked-off at the United Airlines Field at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.
ICYMI: Di Maria receives family death threat in Argentina if he returns to play in Rosario
The 36-year-old winger at Benfica in Portugal said recently he could play again for his boyhood club Rosario Central. He was currently in the United States touring with Argentina.
Costa Rica starting line-up!
Navas(GK) (c), Cascante, Faerron, Clavo, Galo, Aguilera, Quiros, Lassiter, Zamora, Alcocer, Ugalde
Argentina starting line-up!
Head-to-Head record!
Total matches – 7
Argentina wins – 5
Costa Rica wins – 0
Draws – 2
PREVIEW
Argentina will play Costa Rica in an international friendly at the United Airlines Field at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Argentina has enjoyed good form since its World Cup win in Qatar, and with the 2024 Copa America knocking on the door, defending champion La Albiceleste will look to get as much game-time as possible and strengthen their tactics under the tutelage of Lionel Scaloni.
Coming on the back of a 3-0 win against El Salvador, the world champion will look to continue its fine form and notch another win under its belt.
Costa Rica, on the other hand, has been a little shaky in the recent past and was knocked out in the Nations League quarterfinal after losing 6-1 to Panama.
Gustavo Alfaro’s men won 3-1 in their last match, and while they would start the match against Argentina as heavy underdogs, on their day, Los Ticos can be a tricky outfit to deal with.
Injury updates and team news
The biggest miss for Argentina is its captain Lionel Messi, who continues to recover from a muscle injury. It would also miss the services of Paulo Dybala.
Real Betis’ Guido Rodriguez has been called up, with uncapped Valentin Carboni also getting a place in the squad.
There are no notable injury concerns for Costa Rica, and Alfaro should have a full-strength team at his disposal ahead of the clash against Argentina.
Predicted XI
Argentina: Martinez (GK), Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico, De Paul, Paredes, Fernandez, Mac Allister, Martinez, Alvarez
Costa Rica: Navas (GK), Dosman, Cascante, Arboine, Calvo, Mora, Campbell, Galo, Brenes, Zamora, Ugalde
When and where will the Argentina vs Costa Rica international friendly match kick-off?
The Argentina vs Costa Rica international friendly will start at 8:20 AM IST on Wednesday, March 27 at the United Airlines Field at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.
Where to watch the Argentina vs Costa Rica international friendly match in India?
The Argentina vs Costa Rica international friendly can be live streamed on the Sony LIV app and website.
Where to watch the Argentina vs Costa Rica international friendly match outside India?
United States- Fubo
