Not that anyone cares, of course. On Tuesday night, the World Cup qualifying campaign came to an end in South America, with Argentina losing a nearly two-year long unbeaten record in a five goal thriller away to Uruguay, thus handing their hosts the title of Unofficial World Champions. Maxi Rodríguez scored both goals for Argentina,... Continue Reading →
No Messi, but Lavezzi, Palacio & Agüero fill in as Argentina beat Peru 3-1 (video)
Friday night saw Argentina host Peru in Buenos Aires' Estadio Monumental in their last home match of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuaín were among the absences due to injury, but an impressive attacking performance saw the side win 3-1. Claudio Pizarro scored a fantastic lob to give Peru the lead, but... Continue Reading →
Brazil 2014: Argentina hit five past Paraguay to secure their World Cup place
This seems like as good a time as any to make the first post on HEGS in a good while. On Tuesday night, Argentina played Paraguay in Asunción and, needing a draw to mathematically confirm their place in next year's World Cup in Brazil, they scored five goals away from home in a World Cup qualifier... Continue Reading →
Messi hat trick takes him past Maradona & into joint second in Argentina top scorers list
Argentina have had two recent draws in World Cup qualifying, 0-0 at home to Colombia and 1-1 away to Ecuador, and are now assured of at least a playoff place for Brazil 2014 - one win from their remaining three games is enough to secure their place. On Friday night, they celebrated with a friendly... Continue Reading →
Argentina dominate despite narrow winning margin in 3-2 friendly victory over Sweden (video)
Wednesday brought a round of international friendlies around the world, and among them was Argentina's visit to Stockholm, where they took on Sweden in a match the Argentine press were hyping as the chance to get 'revenge' for the result which put Argentina out of the 2002 World Cup at the group stage. This one... Continue Reading →
As those who've kept up with the junior selección in my absence will be aware, Argentina's Under-20s have failed to qualify for the final round of the soon-to-end Sudamericano Sub 20, being played in Mendoza, and with that failure, they won't be going to the 2013 Under-20 World Cup in Turkey, the year after a similar... Continue Reading →
FIFA vice-president Julio Grondona to step down from Argentine FA presidency in 2015
Just one big story in Argentina on Tuesday, but my word, as the proverbial milkmaid said to the parson, what a big one it is. Julio Grondona, the friend of dictators and democrats, the fat, corrupt old man who has bestrode Argentine football like a behemoth and used it as his own personal piggy bank... Continue Reading →
On Sunday, as HEGS readers will already know, young forward Mauro Icardi hit four goals for Sampdoria against Pescara in Serie A, beating Lionel Messi to a four goal haul by a few hours. The performance has sparked calls here in Argentina for Alejandro Sabella to call Icardi up to the national team as soon as... Continue Reading →
Some quick thoughts on Argentina’s World Cup qualifying, and South America more generally
Last Friday and this Tuesday just gone were good days for the Argentine national football team. For the first time in the current World Cup qualifying campaign, they won back-to-back matches (3-0 against Uruguay on Friday, 2-1 away to Chile last night), and now sit on top of the CONMEBOL qualiying table with twenty points,... Continue Reading →
World Cup qualifying Brazil 2014: Chile 1 – 2 Argentina (video)
On Tuesday night, Argentina's national side stepped onto the pitch in Santiago to begin the second half of their World Cup qualifying campaign, away to Chile, who they'd beaten 4-1 just over a year ago in Buenos Aires at the start of qualifying. Chile came out of the blocks quicker, but two strikes close together,... Continue Reading →
Hasta El Gol Siempre 