Brasilia (Brazil): Argentina beat Uruguay 1-0 in its second match at Copa America, making Lionel Messi's team co-leaders of Group A with Chile with four points each.
Midfielder Guido Rodriguez scored the only goal at the Man Garrincha stadium in Brasilia with a header in the 13th minute after Messi crossed from the left. The ball hit goalkeeper Fernando Muslera's right post before going in.
Uruguay had a greater share of possession and completed more passes than their opponents, who were content to sit back after their early goal.
But despite dictating terms in the midfield, Oscar Tabarez's men failed to have a single shot on target as Argentina's compact defence blunted the twin threat of Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez.
Argentina midfielder Rodrigo de Paul said his team deserved to finally win it had not won since November 2020. "Today we tried to be a more compact team. We know that with the players we have here we can score at any time," he said
Uruguay Coach Oscar Tabrez has not seen his team win in four matches. He said in a press conference that Uruguay did not have many opportunities against Argentina, but still has a good chance to advance to the knockout stage in the next three matches.
"We have players that know well how to score goals, but we could not use them," he said
The result leaves Argentina joint group leaders with Chile, with both teams securing four points from their first two matches of the tournament. Uruguay are fourth, having played only one match so far.
Argentina's next match will be against Paraguay on Monday, the same day that Uruguay will play its second match in the tournament against Chile.
A victory against Uruguay could move Argentina into first place in its group and avoid an early knockout-stage meeting with defending champion Brazil, which is in Group B.
The result also provided some relief for Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who was criticized after his team's opening 1-1 draw against Chile on Monday. The top four teams of each group will advance to the knockout stage.