Messi Magic Leads Argentina Past Canada, into Copa America Final
- Argentina defeated Canada 2-0 in the Copa America semifinals, with goals from Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi, to reach the final
- Messi's goal marked his 109th for Argentina, surpassing Ali Daei's record and placing him second only to Cristiano Ronaldo in international scoring
- Argentina will face either Uruguay or Colombia in the final on Sunday, seeking their 16th Copa America title and a fitting sendoff for their veteran players
Defending champions Argentina have secured their place in the Copa America final after a 2-0 victory over Canada on Tuesday evening at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Goals from Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi sealed the win for Argentina, who will face either Uruguay or Colombia in Sunday's final in Florida.
Source: Getty Images
Messi, who has been struggling with a muscle injury, appeared revitalized and scored his 109th goal for Argentina, surpassing Iran's Ali Daei to take sole possession of second place on the all-time international scoring charts.
He now trails only Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 130 goals for Portugal.
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Argentina dominated Canada
Argentina dominated the match, with Alvarez scoring the opening goal in the 22nd minute and Messi doubling their lead in the 51st minute. Canada had chances to equalize, but failed to capitalize on them.
The win marks Argentina's 15th Copa America title and their sixth final appearance in the past eight editions.
For Canada, the defeat ends a remarkable run that saw them defy expectations and perform better than their higher-ranked CONCACAF rivals Mexico and the United States.
"This is a big achievement for us to get to the last four of the Copa America," said Canadian midfielder Stephen Eustaquio.
"We had our chances in the beginning of the game, and if we scored one of them, the story of the game would probably have been different."
Argentina's victory sets up a highly anticipated final on Sunday, which could represent the last shot at silverware for several senior squad members, including Messi, Angel Di Maria, and Nicolas Otamendi. As Messi acknowledged, "These are the last battles" for this generation of players.
With their sights set on another Copa America title, Argentina will look to continue their dominance in the tournament and cement their status as one of the greatest teams in South American football history.
Ronaldo misses crucial penalty in Euro extra time
Legit.ng had earlier reported that Cristiano Ronaldo was seen in tears after missing a crucial penalty during extra time, leading to Portugal's elimination from the Euro Championship.
The missed penalty came during a high-stakes match that ended in a dramatic and almost emotional exit for Portugal.
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Source: Legit.ng
