Aguero on the double

Argentina striker Sergio Aguero (R) squirms away from Bosnia defender Sead Kolasinac during their international friendly in Saint Louis on Monday. Photo: AFP

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero scored twice as Argentina secured a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in a football friendly here Monday.
Playing without superstar striker Lionel Messi, Argentina dominated the tempo most of the match against the Bosnians, who like the Albiceleste, have already booked their place at next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
In-form Aguero opened the scoring on 40 minutes after Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic was unable to snuff out the danger which ensued after a cross from Napoli’s Federico Fernandez.
Aguero doubled his tally on 66 minutes, rifling a left-footed shot past Begovic following a swift break in the area.
Aguero, wearing the number 10 shirt in absence of injured captain Lionel Messi, could have registered a hat-trick but blasted the ball over the bar in the 75th minute after goalkeeper Asmir Begovic had parried a shot from his strike partner Rodrigo Palacio.
It was another lethal exhibition of goalscoring from Aguero, who has scored 13 times in all competitions for Premier League side City this season.
“It was important to finish the year well playing like this and that we didn’t concede goals in either match,” Aguero told broadcasters TyC Sports.
Argentina, with only one loss in 12 matches, were coming off a goal-less draw with Ecuador three nights earlier.
That lone defeat came at the hands of Uruguay in a qualifier after a 2014 World Cup berth had already been secured.
A pro-Bosnian crowd cheered on the Dragons, with the St. Louis area boasting the largest collection of Bosnians outside their homeland.
The match was played in the home stadium of Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals, who lost to the Boston Red Sox in last month’s World Series.
A World Series logo was still visible on a corner of the pitch that workers began putting together a week ago in order to cover dirt areas of the infield with turf and flatten the pitcher’s mound, located just inside the top of a penalty area.