Lionel Messi scored on a second-half penalty and kept Argentina’s hopes of clearing the Copa America’s group stages alive in their 1-1 draw against Paraguay.

Richard Sanchez had opened the scoring in Belo Horizonte to put Paraguay ahead in the 37th minute.

Argentina’s opportunity to level up came just before the hour after the Video Assistant Referee picked up a handball by Paraguay’s Ivan Peris.

While bottom of Group B, a win over Qatar in the final group game could give La Albiceleste a ticket to the quarter-finals, if they finish the stage as one of the two best teams to place third in their group.

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