Marcelo Sousa
Associated Press
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Messi, who will celebrate his 34e birthday later in June, is possibly taking advantage of one of his last opportunities to win a title with Argentina at the Copa América.
Before the start of this first game, Messi had said that a triumph with his national team is “the biggest dream” of his illustrious career, despite all the individual successes and the team championships with Barcelona.
Argentina appeared ready to give Messi what he longs for. Coach Lionel Scaloni’s players squandered three golden chances between the 16e and 18e minutes, one by Lautaro Martinez and the other two by Nicolas Gonzalez.
Then, Messi broke the tie during the 33e minute after a free kick that Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo could not stop, even though he touched the ball to his left. Argentina continued to win in Chile zone, which lacked injured striker Alexis Sanchez.
However, Chile started to build up the pressure in the second half and earned a penalty after video review. From the penalty spot, Arturo Vidal’s shot was blocked, but Eduardo Vargas lodged the ball in an empty net to tie the score in the 57e minute.
Messi continued to create scoring chances until the end of the game, but his teammates showed the same inability to lodge the ball in the net as they did when they were 2-2 draw against Colombia in a game. qualifying for the World Cup last week.
“This match was complicated for us,” analyzed an exhausted Messi after the match. “We needed to stay calm, control possession and play faster. The penalty changed the game, too. ”
Before the start of the meeting, the leaders of CONMEBOL, the organization which oversees soccer in South America, paid tribute to Diego Maradona, who died last November at the age of 60.
Images of the legendary Argentinian were projected onto the pitch at Nilton Santos Stadium.
In another Group A game on Monday night, Paraguay defeated Bolivia 3-1. Uruguay, which will battle Argentina on Friday, rounds out Group A.
The Copa América matches were supposed to be presented in Colombia and Argentina, but the organizers moved the tournament to Brazil at the last minute. Many health experts have criticized the decision to go to a country with nearly 490,000 victims of COVID-19.
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