Scaloni hails Argentina win over Angola, says ‘could do better’ | OneFootball

On Friday afternoon, the Argentina National Team closed out the year with a 2-0 victory over Angola thanks to goals from Lautaro Martínez and Lionel Messi at the 11 de Novembro Stadium in Luanda. Coach Lionel Scaloni spoke at a press conference and praised the performance of his players.

“You always learn when you play a match against opponents you don’t know very well, and who are as physically strong as Angola,” he told the media. “It was a good test, they have fast players. I think we were up to the challenge, although at times we could have done better,” he added.

On the other hand, the coach, who gave debuts to Kevin Mac Allister, Máximo Perrone, Gianluca Prestiani, and Joaquín Panichelli, highlighted the play of the African team. “We tried to play the match with our own strengths, and I congratulate the opponent for their good game as well,” he said. “I know this is a country that is happy when things go well for us, and we are very grateful for the welcome we received,” he added.

Scaloni explained Otamendi’s absence

One of Lionel Scaloni’s surprises in the Argentina National Team lineup was the inclusion of Nicolás Tagliafico as central defender instead of Nicolás Otamendi, who was expected to start but ultimately missed the match. “Otamendi didn’t play because we preferred to rest him, we know him. Today we chose other guys but we knew he was ready as always”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.