There was anticlimax at every turn for the usually plucky Paraguay, who lost all three games at a Copa America for the first time in 99 years. For the neutral, too, there were disappointingly few glimpses of Sosa, an explosive wide player only able to show his quality in bursts.
Starting the first two games of the competition on the bench, Sosa only needed 10 minutes to make an impact against Colombia, dropping the shoulder and digging out a back-post cross for Julio Enciso to score. In the final group game against Costa Rica, he rifled home an unstoppable first-time drive, ending the tournament with a hand in two of his country’s three goals.
That ball-striking ability is one of the 24-year-old’s great strengths. He is able to consistently hit cleanly and powerfully through his shots on goal while cutting in from either side. He also tested Sequeira six minutes after his goal, this time thumping a left-footed effort towards the near post.
Able to play on either flank, Sosa is lightning-quick, even if occasionally a little raw with his final product. Direct and fearless, he doesn’t think twice about crashing towards goal, with only four players averaging more than his 1.6 carries into the penalty area per game in the Argentinian top flight last season.
Alongside the relentless Enciso, responsible for almost a third of his country’s 43 shots this summer, Sosa offers that something-from-nothing spark that can turn a game on its head.
His flashes of electricity throughout a drab Paraguayan campaign will have surely caught the attention of the biggest clubs.
Source link : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/argentina-colombia-live-updates-2024-copa-america-final-lionel-messi-result/PfFFJq1426AS/ZvnWxQJdIbnP/
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Publish date : 2024-07-14 03:00:00
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