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Alexis Mac Allister played 85 minutes for Argentina in a friendly win over Angola today, with the Liverpool midfielder putting in a fairly unremarkable performance, by all accounts.
Argentina won 2-0 in Africa thanks to goals from Lautaro Martinez and Lionel Messi, with the latter's strike drawing celebrations from the home fans, who were pleased to be able to see him.
Angola generated plenty of chances but ultimately didn't find the back of the net. For 26 minutes, Liverpool star Mac Allister played alongside his brother, Kevin, a center-back, who was making his senior international debut.
"The lackluster, low-calorie friendly in Angola left Scaloni with few certainties," national newspaper La Nacion said.
"Geronimo Rulli performed well in goal, 'Cuti' Romero plays all or nothing even in these kinds of matches, and Thiago Almada confirmed that he long ago ceased to be just an alternative and became a regular starter.
"The warning sign was the physical intensity imposed by the Angolans for almost the entire match. The Argentine midfielders struggled to find their rhythm and often lost their duels.
"This lack of energy didn't affect the result. Argentina finished the year with a victory and is already thinking about 2026, with the World Cup on the horizon."
Another Argentine outlet, TYC Sports, was similarly middling with its assessment of Mac Allister's performance.
"Somewhat absent in the first half, he distributed the ball well later on when Argentina had possession," it said, while giving him a 6/10 rating. "A nice long ball into the box to Messi, who was quickly closed down."
In its player ratings, most players scored six, like Mac Allister. Two got a five, while Messi picked up a seven and was selected as the Player of the Match.
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Mac Allister has started the season quite slowly for Liverpool after coming off the back of the summer with an injury.
He played well against Aston Villa and Real Madrid, but, like the rest of the team, regressed against Manchester City.
"The season hasn’t started in the best way for me," Mac Allister admitted during the last international break after featuring in a 6-0 win over Puerto Rico.
"These kinds of matches help us get into the swing of things," he added. Liverpool will hope that the minutes here will help too ahead of a crucial period of the campaign for Arne Slot.
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