Argentina 1-0 Venezuela: Lo Celso gets world champions back to winning ways
Argentina avoided suffering back-to-back defeats, with Giovani Lo Celso's first-half strike giving them victory over Venezuela in Miami.
Giovani Lo Celso scored the only goal as Argentina got back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Venezuela.
The Real Betis midfielder was on target in the 31st minute at Hard Rock Stadium, where Lionel Scaloni's side edged out La Vinotinto in a friendly.
Argentina, who were without Lionel Messi and after defeat by Ecuador in their final match of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying section last time out, made a purposeful start in Miami.
Lautaro Martinez went close with a half-volley early on, while Nico Paz saw a long-range effort tipped onto the post by Venezuela goalkeeper Jose Contreras.
Alejandro Marques squandered a golden opportunity for Oswaldo Vizcarrondo's side when he headed Gleiker Mendoza's deep cross wide, and it proved costly with Lo Celso rounding off a swift counter by drilling home within a minute.
The world champions survived a scare when Teo Quintero rattled the crossbar in the 74th minute and, despite Contreras denying Martinez on several occasions, they held out for a narrow victory.
Data Debrief: World champions maintain Venezuela dominance
Argentina managed to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time since November 2016, after a generally dominant display in Miami.
La Albiceleste enjoyed 68.6% of possession and registered an expected goals (xG) of 2.85 from 11 shots on target, as they recorded their 26th win over Venezuela in 31 meetings.
As for La Vinotinto, who narrowly missed out on the Inter-confederation playoffs, they have lost four straight games for the first time since a five-match streak in 2021.
