Papu Gómez scored in the 10th minute as Argentina beat Paraguay 1-0 on Monday and secured its place in the Copa America knockout stage.
The result at the Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasilia moved Argentina atop Group A with seven points from three matches. The game also gave Lionel Messi a record 147th cap for the national team, equalling the mark of retired defender Javier Mascherano.
Chile, which also advanced to the quarterfinals, is second in the group with five points after the 1-1 draw with Uruguay. Paraguay has three points, followed by Uruguay (1) and Bolivia (0).
Captain Messi, seeking his first major title with the national team, had to work with a team impacted by six changes in the starting lineup.
Argentina forced Silva to make important saves in the first half but the energy of the team waned in the second half, as it has in several recent matches.
Argentina coach, Lionel Scaloni said he was concerned about players being tired after a long season and three straight Copa America matches.
Messi had his least impressive performance at the tournament so far, but he still got praise from the previous holder of the record of most matches played for Argentina.
