Lionel Messi scored from the penalty spot to salvage a 1-1 draw for Argentina against Paraguay in the Copa America on Wednesday as his side rode its luck to cling on to hope of reaching the quarterfinals.
Richard Sanchez put Paraguay ahead in the 37th minute, firing into the bottom corner after a lung-bursting run from Miguel Almiron down the left wing.
Argentina captain Messi levelled in the 57th minute after a handball by Paraguay’s Ivan Peris which no one on the pitch appealed for but was spotted by a VAR review.
Paraguay was awarded a spot-kick a few minutes later but Derlis Gonzalez’s shot was saved by Argentina ’keeper Franco Armani, who was lucky to avoid a red card when he fouled Gonzalez outside his area at the end of the first half.
A late goal from Duvan Zapata, his second in two games, gave Colombia a 1-0 win over Qatar at Sao Paulo and guaranteed its place in the quarterfinals.
Zapata rose with five minutes left to head home a floated cross from Man of the Match James Rodriguez and break the deadlock in a scrappy but end to end encounter at the Morumbi stadium.
Colombia was the better team in the first half, with Roger Martinez having a goal ruled out for offside after just five minutes and Rodriguez putting a free header wide eight minutes later.
Asian champion Qatar, one of the two non-South American teams invited, improved in the second period but just as the game looked destined to finish goalless, Zapata gave Colombia all three points.
The results : Group B : Colombia 1 (Zapata 86) bt Qatar 0; Argentina 1 (Messi 57-pen) drew with Paraguay 1 (Sanchez 37) .
