Rodrigo Bentancur passes first Postecoglou test with Lionel Messi moment to stun Cristian Romero
Rodrigo Bentancur appeared to come through his first international test fine as he made an impact in Uruguay's surprise 2-0 victory in Argentina.
There were some worries among Tottenham supporters that after only recently returning from eight months out with a cruciate ligament injury, Bentancur being thrown into a passionate World Cup qualifier between the two South American nations — as well as playing Marcelo Bielsa's high-octane football — might be a recipe for disaster.
However, Bielsa remained cautious with Bentancur, bringing the 26-year-old into the game on Thursday night in the 62nd minute with the visitors already a goal up through Ronald Araujo's strike.
Bentancur's Spurs team-mate Cristian Romero, who had played the peacemaker in an earlier spat between the two sides, was caught deep in the Argentina half for that goal, trotting back as Uruguay scored the opener.
Bentancur entered the fray just after the hour mark and it was his tackle on Lionel Messi on the edge of the Uruguay box that set his side away to score their second goal with Liverpool's Darwin Nunez running through and firing home in the 87th minute.
Another Tottenham midfielder in Giovani Lo Celso had also come on with 10 minutes to go while Romero had just before picked up a 77th minute yellow card.
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Bentancur was seen walking through the interior of stadium after the match with Romero's shorts on and Messi's shirt over his shoulder. In his 34 minutes on the pitch, including added time, Bentancur made two clearances, two interceptions, one headed clearance, that one recovery
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