Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza deemed the Albiceleste free of "Messi-dependence" in their 1-0 victory on Thursday against Chile in 2018 World Cup qualifying, even as the Barcelona star scored the match's only goal.
Messi converted a penalty as Argentina rose to third in the CONMEBOL table with the win over defending Copa America champions Chile in Buenos Aires.
Argentina took the lead when Brazilian referee Sandro Ricci ruled that Jose Fuenzalida had pushed Angel Di Maria within the goal area as he chased a fine through ball from Javier Mascherano. Messi sent Claudio Bravo the wrong way and buried the ball in the back of the net at minute 16 to a roar from a wildly passionate 60,000 crowd at El Monumental.
"I am very happy because we won a match that went as we imagined. I think the team played a great game," Bauza told reporters after the match. "It was very difficult to try to contain a team like Chile that played with three strikers and ended up playing with almost five.
"We failed to have the ball a little more in the last fifteen minutes of each time but then we did brilliant defensive work, as we had practised and the players made a great effort to be able to win a match that was important. So I'm really happy."
Bauza said that his team played a "match worth 10 points" and felt that the team shared responsibility.
"I do not think [Argentina] is Messi-dependent, I think that Lionel has played a good game today," he said. "They [the players] repeated the idea of the last one, where he took the ball, pressed quickly.
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"And then, as long as we have time to work, we will improve. I am not worried about that. The game does not worry me because we are going to improve it."
For Argentina, Mascherano, Gonzalo Higuain, Lucas Biglia and Nicolas Otamendi all drew yellow cards and will be forced to sit out the match against Bolivia on Tuesday in La Paz.
Bauza did not say whether injured Juventus forward Paulo Dybala will be fit to return for Argentina on Tuesday.
Chile, missing suspended midfielder Arturo Vidal but worthy of at least a draw, gave Argentina an early scare when they had the ball in net after a free kick from the left only for Jose Fuenzalida to be ruled offside.
"We suffered because we lost the ball but at least we won," Bauza said.
Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi spoke about his disappointment over the defeat, saying that La Roja did enough merit to reach at least a draw.
"I think we have played a great match, that we practically fulfilled what we predicted could happen," he told reporters. "I consider the final result to be totally unfair but the reality is that we have lost the game and we need to win on Tuesday to get back to settle as we intend."
The Argentina players did not speak in the mixed zone after the match, as they announced a media boycott last November.
Argentina are now back in the classifying zone, while Chile are in the sixth place.