Argentina vs Uruguay: The tactics board - Diego Forlan's low block blunts La Albiceleste

Scaloni set his team up in a 4-3-3. Exequiel Palacios sat at the base of the midfield behind Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister, with Nico Paz on the right wing, Thiago Almada on the left, and Julian Alvarez leading the line. Because Uruguay packed the middle of the pitch, full-backs Gonzalo Montiel and Facundo Medina pushed high to offer width.

Argentina dominated the ball throughout the first half but struggled to create much of note, often settling for tame efforts from distance, including a long-range strike from Medina that Cristopher Fiermarin held comfortably. Their best opening came when Mac Allister slipped a pass into Alvarez, whose shot was saved by Fiermarin before a defender blocked Almada's follow-up for a corner. Fiermarin also made a smart stop to deny Paz before the break.

Ditching the frantic man-to-man press of the previous regime, Forlan parked Uruguay in two tight banks of four inside their own half. Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Torreira protected the back four, Giorgian de Arrascaeta linked the midfield to lone striker Darwin Nunez, and the visitors waited for mistakes. After defending for the opening 25 minutes, Uruguay began getting their foot on the ball through Bentancur to take the sting out of Argentina's pressure.

The game turned at half-time when Scaloni took off Palacios for winger Matias Soule to add another attacker. Instead, taking off his holding midfielder left a hole in the middle of the pitch that De Arrascaeta gladly exploited, and two quick set-pieces punished the hosts.

In the 48th minute, Nunez flicked on a De Arrascaeta free-kick from the left; Lisandro Martinez tried to head it clear, only for the ball to cannon off the back of Leonardo Balerdi's head and into his own net. Four minutes later, Nunez got the better of Balerdi and forced a fine save from Geronimo Rulli. From De Arrascaeta's resulting 53rd-minute corner, Maximiliano Araujo darted to the near post and diverted the ball off his shoulder over Rulli for 2-0.

Forlan brought on Federico Valverde for Agustin Canobbio in the 58th minute to shore up the midfield, while Scaloni introduced Gianluca Prestianni for Almada at the hour mark. Alongside Soule - who put Paz clean through for a one-on-one saved by Fiermarin - Prestianni gave Argentina genuine width.

That change paid off in the 73rd minute when Fernandez switched play out to Prestianni, who drove down his flank and crossed for Alvarez to control and slot inside the post. Scaloni threw on full-backs Agustin Giay and Roman Vega for the final ten minutes, while Forlan answered with Facundo Pellistri and Rodrigo Aguirre on the break.

Despite a blocked Fernandez shot in the 88th minute and a stoppage-time opening for Alvarez, Uruguay saw out the game to hand Forlan his third win in charge.