Argentina have returned to winning ways with a late 1-0 victory over Morocco at the Stade Ibn-Batouta in Tangier, courtesy of Angel Correa's goal seven minutes from time.

Correa came off the bench to score the only goal of the game, settling what was a feisty and tedious friendly with his shot past Yassine Bounou.

The visitors, beaten 3-1 by Venezuela in their last outing, looked disjointed for large parts in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi, but Lionel Scaloni saw his men get over the line as the days tick down to this summer's Copa America.

© Reuters

There were just a combined 12 shots in the first half, two of those on target, compared to 28 fouls - 14 for both sides.

Medhi Benatia, Younes Belhanda, Khalid Boutaib and Lautaro Martinez all entered the referee's book, with the man in the middle struggling to keep the game under control.

Neither side could find any real rhythm to their play in the first half, not helped by the windy conditions that regularly caught both teams out when knocking it long.

© Reuters

Boutaib did manage to keep hold of the ball for long enough to get a shot away from the edge of the box, though, which Esteban Andrada was equal to.

The half's other on-target attempt came via Guido Rodriguez, who thumped the ball down the middle for Bounou to routinely keep out.

Morocco created another decent opportunity, however, but Boutaib and Romain Saiss got in each other's way when attacking a deep free-kick delivery, the former heading it over the bar.

The second half also panned out in an equally-scrappy manner, with the final ball lacking at both ends of the field.

Saiss threw his body in the way of a left-sided cross to prevent substitute Matias Suarez converting from close range and, up the other end, Sofiane Boufal's free kick clipped the wall and was gathered by replacement goalkeeper Juan Musso.

© Reuters

Morocco felt that they should have had a penalty an hour into the match when Walter Kannemann clattered into Moubarak Boussoufa, replays showing that the contact was made just inside the box.

Just when the game appeared to be coming to a goalless conclusion, Correa - on the field for just 20 minutes - took a pass from Suarez in his stride and picked his spot to settle the scrappy affair.

MOROCCO (4-3-3): Bounou; Mazraoui, Benatia (Abdelhamid 62'), Da Costa (Idrissi 88'), Hakimi; Boussoufa (Fajr 74'), El Ahmadi (Bennasser 62'), Saiss; Belhanda (Bourabia 87'), Boutaib (Rachid 75'), Boufal

ARGENTINA (4-4-2): Andrada (Musso 67'); Montiel, Pezzella, Kannemann, Acuna; Pereyra, Paredes (Zaracho 76'), Rodriguez, Rodrigo (Correa 62'); Dybala (Lo Celso 79'), Martinez (Suarez 56')