Lautaro Martinez scored two second-half goals to lead Argentina’s reserves to a 2-0 victory over Peru at the Copa America on Saturday, eliminating the country at the top of Group A. Martinez, making his first start in the tournament, scored in the 47th and 86th minutes, his third consecutive game with goals.
The Inter Milan striker first calmly chipped the ball over the head of Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese with one fluid movement, and then repeated the move after some sloppy defending from Peru to seal the victory.
Argentina had already booked a place in the quarterfinals before the Miami match with wins over Canada and Chile, allowing the defending champions to rest key players, including captain Lionel Messi.
Messi, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Monday, is recovering from a thigh injury suffered during Tuesday’s win over Chile. He is scheduled to return for Thursday’s quarterfinal match in Houston against the runner-up in Group B.
Argentina struggled in the first half without their team’s guardian, as the world champions struggled to create any chances to score. Argentina dominated possession in the first half and had three shots on goal, but Galles kept the score at bay with a series of saves from the Frenchman, the most notable of which was a superb save from a free kick by Leandro Paredes in the 26th minute.
The defending champions had a golden opportunity to extend their lead in the 72nd minute when they were awarded a penalty for a handball offense, but Paredes’ shot bounced off the post.
Argentina were hardly troubled by their opponents despite making significant changes to their starting eleven and the absence of coach Lionel Scaloni, who was suspended and fined for the early seconds of the second half in each of their previous two matches.
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Argentina held Chile to a 0-0 draw in the other Group A match and will advance to the knockout stages along with runner-up Canada, who advanced to the quarterfinals.
