Lionel Messi scored a stunning free kick in Argentina’s Copa America opener against Chile – but couldn’t stop his side from losing two points.
Argentine talisman Messi has yet to win his first international trophy with his country and is starting his efforts to end the drought with a staggering effort from a set piece.
In typical fashion, his blow was shot with a delicious whip from a height of 25 meters before arching over the wall and snuggling into the back of the net.
Lionel Messi scored a stunning free kick in Argentina’s Copa America draw against Chile
After Argentina received a free kick, Messi hit the net with a great shot
Only Lionel Messi does what he does best ¿¿#copaamerica
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) 14. June 2021
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His left foot wand caused the damage after a foul was won from a distance and even the slightest touch from goalkeeper Claudio Bravo couldn’t stop Messi from spinning away in the wild celebration.
With this feat he scored his 73rd goal for Argentina – and also resulted in him overtaking the great Gabriel Bautistuta of all time and becoming his nation’s top scorer in competitive games with a record of 39.
However, his goal was later overshadowed when Chile rallied and took a hard-earned point.
Claudio Bravo was in full swing in his acrobatic attempt to throw the palm away, but the shot hit the net
Chile fought their way back to take a point when Eduardo Vargas (right) stretched to steer a header home
They received a penalty in the 57th minute when Nicolas Tagliafico was punished for leaving his foot on Arturo Vidal in the penalty area.
The midfielder had attempted to rebound after an Emiliano Martinez save, but when he touched the ball, full-back Tagliafico was found guilty of clumsily bundling it over.
After the decision was confirmed by a check with the VAR monitor on the sidelines, Vidal drove the penalty kick towards the goal, only that Martinez stepped into action and fell on the crossbar.
But unfortunately for him and Argentina, Eduardo Vargas was the quickest to react to the loose ball to shoot in with his head.
Arturo Vidal missed a penalty in the second half, but Vargas was there to score the rebound
Messi was trying hard to secure a welcome win for the heavyweights, with his teammates guilty of wasting a number of good openings when he was called up by him.
Lautaro Martinez was the first to feel frustrated after taking a header at Bravo from an inviting free kick in low position from Messi.
And when the minutes went by, Messi was involved again, this time with a wonderful pass over the top for Nicolas Gonzalez, who scored just yards away.
The striker could only nod over the bar, however, and his roar, echoing across the empty square in Rio de Janeiro, encapsulated Argentina’s evening.
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