Argentina cemented their place in the quarter-finals of the Copa America on Monday when they beat Paraguay 1-0 in their 147th match to equal Lionel Messi's record for the national team.
The win in Brasilia was Argentina's second consecutive 1-0 win in the tournament & their 16th without a loss since losing the 2019 Copa America semi-finals.
This gives them seven points from three matches & they remain at the top of Group A, two points ahead of Chile, four points ahead of Paraguay & six points ahead of Uruguay.
Bolivia has two games without points, so with four of the five teams qualifying for the last eight, Argentina's progress is certain.
"We have moved on but we have to keep improving," said defender German Pezzella. "We did well in the first half, our intensity was not the same in the second but they didn't have a lot of chances to score."
Paraguay did not beat Argentina in the Copa América for more than 90 minutes, a run that included 25 matches, & they were only against it in the 10th minute when Argentina advanced.
Alejandro Gómez takes a delightful pass from Angel Di Maria & bakes the ball over the diving keeper.
"Angel's pass was great," Gomez said. "I just had to get my foot under him & turn him away."
The Argentine thought they had a second when junior Alonso deflected a cross into his own net on the stroke of half-time, but the goal was chalked out by the video assistant referee (VAR).
Paraguay turned more positive in the changed second half, with Newcastle United's Miguel Almiron always dangerous on the left wing.
However, although they enjoyed most of the possession, they could not convert it into opportunities & will now face two tough games against Chile & Uruguay.
For Argentina, Sergio Aguero made his first international debut since November 2019 but was anonymous up front & it was Di Maria & Messi who stood out.
On the night he equaled Javier Mascherano's record of 147 games in a blue & white shirt, Messi was a busy presence in the Paraguayan Half.
He & Di MarÃa both committed fouls from their opponents, who committed 23 fouls in Argentina's 11.