After drawing their opening two games, the pressure was on this year’s hosts to deliver not only a win, but a convincing performance. They did exactly that, winning comfortably and securing second place in Group A.
Sergio Aguero put Argentina in front in first-half stoppage time, tapping in the rebound after Fernando Gago’s long-range strike was parried away by Costa Rica goalkeeper Leonel Moreira.
It was Aguero again who made it two-nil on 53′, collecting Lionel Messi’s perfectly weighted through-ball and slotting past Moreira for his third goal of the tournament, making him the top scorer so far.
Ten minutes later, Messi again provided the assist for Argentina’s third. The Barcelona forward slid the ball into the path of Angel di Maria who hammered a first-time shot into the net to seal the win.
The final Group A table sees Colombia and Argentina first and second respectively, and guaranteed a place in the next round. Costa Rica must await the outcomes of other matches to see if they will get through as one of the two ‘best third placed’ sides.
In the quarter-finals, Colombia will play the best third-placed team, while Argentina will play the runners-up of Group C, which could be either Chile, Peru or Uruguay.
