Venezuela 1-1 Argentina player ratings as La Vinotinto hold the World Cup winners for a draw

Argentina were held to a 1-1 against Venezuela on Friday as Lionel Messi returned to international duty for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Eight time Ballon D or winner beautifully set up a goal for Nicolas Otamendi on a drenched pitch to open the scoring around the 13 minute mark after the game was delayed due to heavy rain.

Venezuela also did not look to stay behind as they equalised in the second half with Salomon Rondon’s header beating goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, who replaced Emiliano Martinez, who’s serving a two match ban for offensive behavior.

Let’s have a look at Venezuela vs Argentina player ratings.

Venezuela National Football Team Player Ratings vs Argentina

Goalkeeper

Rafael Romo: 6.5/10- He had a fair game making three saves and conceding a goal in the game. Throughout the match, his distribution was not good as he made wrong passes multiple times.

Defenders

Alexander Gonzalez: 7.0/10- Had a good game moving up and down the pitch and contributing to both in defence and in attack. He had a shot on goal and was involved in six defensive actions and made four recoveries for his team.

Yordan Osorio: 7.5/10- He had a great game in the heart of the defence but passing was poor. He was involved in ten defensive actions and made four clearances for his team.

Nahuel Ferraresi: 6.8/10- Had a decent game in defence with a below par passing. He was involved in five defensive actions and made three recoveries and clearances for his team.

Jon Aramburu: 7.1/10- Had a good game as a left back as he helped both in defence and in attack. He created a chance for his team and was also involved in four defensive actions for his team.

Midfielders

Tomas Rincon: 6.3/10- Had an average game in the middle of the park maintaining a passing accuracy of 67 percent. He was involved in five defensive action and helped in one recovery.

Jose Martinez: 7.5/10- He had a decent game on the right side of the midfield and had two shots on goal. Despite not creating any major opportunity for his team, he was involved in 12 defensive actions and made four interceptions.

Yangel Herrera: 6.4/10- He had an average game maintaining just 47 percent passing accuracy and had two shots on goal. He was involved in six defensive actions and also had created a goalscoring opportunity for his side.

Attackers

Yeferson Soteldo: 7.6/10- Had a fantastic game on the right side of the pitch taking three shots on goal and creating three chances for his team. He assisted the goal that was scored by Rondon.

Salomon Rondon: 7.2/10- Had a decent game as a striker for his team. He had four shots on goal and created a chance for his team.

Jefferson Savarino: 6.6/10- Capped a solid team display on the left wing of the attack and had only one shot on goal.

Substitutes

Jhonder Cadiz: 6.5/10- Captain Rincon departed as he came on the field and maintained a passing accuracy of 63 percent.

Darwin Machis: 5.8/10- Savarino made way for him to come on the pitch but did not make any impact.

Edson Castillo: N/A.

Manager

Fernando Batista: 7/10- He would be happy with the result after salvaging a point against the World Cup winners. He was spot on with his tactics to stop Lionel Messi but could have used his substitutes well.

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Argentina National Football Team Player Ratings vs Venezuela

Goalkeeper

Geronimo Rulli: 7.3/10- He had a great game making five saves for his team but conceded one. His distribution was not good throughout the game.

Defenders

Nahuel Molina: 6.4/10- He had a decent game as a right-back as he was more focused on his defensive duties rather than going into attack. He was involved in five defensive actions and made three clearances for his team

Nicolas Otamendi: 7.7/10- Had a great defensive display and also scored the winner a goal for his team. Apart from having a shot on goal he was involved in 12 defensive actions and made eight clearances for his team.

German Pezzella: 7.5/10- Capped a solid defensive display for his team maintaining 85 percent passing accuracy. He was involved in 20 defensive actions for his team and had 12 clearances for his team.

Nicolas Tagliafico: 6.9/10- Had a decent game as a left back but had only 56 percent of passing accuracy throughout the game. He was involved in seven defensive actions and made six clearances for his team.

Midfielders

Rodrigo De Paul: 7.4/10- The Atletico Madrid midfielder had a great game in the right side of the midfield. He created two chances for his team and was also involved in eight defensive actions.

Enzo Fernandez: 6.9/10- He had a good game orchestrating the midfield for his team and maintaining 78 percent passing accuracy. He had one shot on goal and was involved in nine defensive actions and made five recoveries for his team.

Giovani Lo Celso: 6.6/10- The Argentine midfielder was replaced around the 68 minute mark after having a decent game at the left side of the midfield. Apart from creating a chance for his team he was involved in three defensive actions and made five recoveries for his team.

Attackers

Thiago Almada: 6.6/10- The attacking midfielder was taken off after having a fair game in the first half. He created a chance for his team and also had a shot on goal while maintaining 85 percent passing accuracy.

Lionel Messi: 7.5/10- Had a decent game as an attacker taking two shots and creating a chance for his team.

Julian Alvarez: 7.0/10- The Atletico Madrid forward had a decent game in the attacking thirds takung two shots on goal out of which one was blocked by the defenders.

Substitutes

Gonzalo Montiel: 6.4/10- He replaced Thiago Almada just after the first half and capped a good team display.

Leonardo Balerdi: 6.1/10- He came of to replace Lo Celso around the 68th-minute mark and did not have much of an impact.

Leandro Paredes: N/A.

Lautaro Martinez: N/A.

Manager

Lionel Scaloni: 6/10- He would be unsatisfied with the draw considering the kind of game they have played. He does not have to worry about qualifying for the World Cup as they sit at the top of the table with 19 points from 9 games.

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