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Argentine football icon, Lionel Messi finally got his goal in the 2024 Copa America as his national team knocked out Canada in the semi-final stage.
Argentina and Canada met at the MetLife Stadium in the United States for the game which was expected to end in favour of the reigning Copa America champions.
As expected, Argentina proved their superiority over Canada even though the Canadian side gave a relatively good account of themselves as they enjoyed 49 per cent of the ball possession.
In the 22nd minute of the encounter, Manchester City’s 24-year-old forward, Julián Álvarez, gave Argentina the lead but that didn’t make Canada play under pressure.
The first half ended with Argentina going into the break with a slim lead. In the second half, the South American team kept their composure at the back as the Canadian side found it impossible to break their defence.
To make the game tougher for coach Jesse Marsch and his boys, Lionel Messi finally grabbed his first goal in the 2024 Copa America in the 51st minute of the encounter.
The goal was all Argentina needed to win the game with a 2-0 scoreline as coach Lionel Scaloni led the South American giants to their second Copa America Final in a row.
After the victory, 37-year-old Messi acknowledged how stunning it is that he and his “older guys” made it to another final.
He said, “What this team has done, what the Argentina national team has done, because after this everyone gives more importance to all the finals that me and the ‘older guys’ have played. Me, Fide [Angel Di María], Ota [Nicolás Otamendi], and that Argentina can play another final is amazing.
“To be honest it has been a difficult tournament, the level has been as equal as ever, very bad surfaces, high temperatures that make it hard to play, very tough rivals. So the fact we made it and we are here again playing a final is something to enjoy and highlight.”
Argentina will face either Colombia Or Uruguay in the 2024 Copa America Final at 1 a.m. on Monday, July 15.
English (US) ·