Real Madrid winger Angel di Maria has said the Argentina squad has 23 heroes after their narrow 1-0 win over Switzerland in the last 16 of the World Cup.
The Los Blancos man broke Swiss hearts as he netted the winner in the 118th minute of the match, leaving the European nation with no time to respond. Alejandro Sabella’s men had struggled to break down Switzerland, and once again Argentina relied on a moment of magic from Leo Messi, who provided the pass for di Maria to score.
Speaking to journalists after the game, di Maria said the Argentina players knew the game would be tough and that every match is difficult at this stage of the competition. And he praised the contribution made be everyone in the squad.
He stated: “It’s not just me. We have 23 heroes and the coaching staff. We gave our lives. We knew that every knockout game is like this. We knew this could happen and we did everything we could with every ball. We did everything very well.”
And he added that although the scoreline was close, he was happy the team created as many chances as they did throughout the match.
“We had many goal situations, we always tried to play and we never got desperate. We managed it in the end and the victory is more than deserved,” he commented.
