Lionel Messi struggled to influence proceedings after scoring a penalty against Paraguay in Argentina's last gameSergio Aguero sealed an unconvincing Argentina side's passage into the quarter-finals of the Copa America as they saw off Qatar in Porto Alegre. Aguero's late right-foot drive from 15 yards sealed a 2-0 win after Lautaro Martinez netted in the third minute. Bassam Al-Rawi, whose misplaced pass had allowed Martinez to score, hit the post for Qatar, who are eliminated. Manchester City forward Aguero and Barcelona's Lionel Messi, who produced an underwhelming performance, both missed excellent opportunities while Qatar threatened on the counter-attack until Aguero's late intervention. Argentina now face Venezuela in their quarter-final on Friday, 28 June at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.

Source: BBC June 23, 2019 21:21 UTC