Lionel Messi watched from the Argentine national team’s bench on Saturday night as the reigning world champions concluded their Copa America group stage with another win.
Lautaro Martinez found the net in the 47th and 86th minutes, securing a 2-0 victory over Peru at Hard Rock Stadium in the final Group A match, with Messi not featuring in the game.
"Of course, we always prefer to have Leo in our team, but when he's not available, we give our all," said Argentine assistant coach Walter Samuel, who stood in for suspended head coach Lionel Scaloni. "Today, we showed that we can perform well even without him."
Argentina had already secured a spot in the Copa America quarterfinals before the match. They now await the outcome of Sunday’s game between Mexico and Ecuador to determine the second-place finisher in Group B.
Argentina's upcoming match will take place on July 4 at NRG Stadium in Houston.
"We've achieved three wins in the group stage, and that's it. Congratulations to everyone. Now, let's rest and focus on what lies ahead," remarked Martinez, who contributed four of Argentina's five goals in the group stage.