“It’s crazy what this team has done, what the Argentina national team is doing,” Messi said after scoring his 109th international goal on Tuesday night to seal a 2-0 win over Canada. “For those who remain of the old guard, it is very impressive that the national team is in another final.”
Julian Alvarez puts the Albiceleste ahead In the 22nd minute, controlling a long pass from Rodrigo De Paul, it took two touches to get away from Moises Bombito and slip the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau for his ninth international goal.
Messi redirects Enzo Fernandez’s shot After a poor clearance of Ismail Kone headed Crépeau from 4 yards in the 51st for his first goal of the tournament. Messi has scored 28 goals in his last 25 games for Argentina and 14 in the Copa America, three short of the record. He has scored against 38 different countries.
“I wasn’t sure whether Enzo’s ball would go in or not,” Messi said. “It was a reflex.”
Only Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has more international goals with 130 than Messi, who turned 37 on June 24. Iran’s Ali Daei had 108 or 109 from 1993 to 2006, with a long-running dispute over whether a goal against Ecuador in 2000 was in a full international match. ,
With their Independence Day win, Argentina extended their unbeaten streak to 10 matches. The Albiceleste are seeking to win a record 16th Copa title when they play either Uruguay or Colombia in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Sunday.
“We have to enjoy every moment of what we’re living,” Messi said. “I know these are the last battles.”
In an attempt to win the Copa America title around the 2022 World Cup, Argentina hopes to equal Spain’s feat of winning the 2010 World Cup as well as the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.
“These are statistics. I’m really not interested in it,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said through a translator. “The most important thing is to win.”
Making his 38th appearance at the Copa América, Messi missed Argentina’s group stage final with a foot injury and fainted after 90 minutes. Quarterfinal win over Ecuador, He was very agile and his shots went wide in the 12th and 44th minutes.
Messi had 45 touches and a 79% pass success rate.
“They make us pay for little things,” Crépeau said.
MetLife’s temporary grass surface appears heavy, with water splashing up and sand emerging during drizzle.
“It has been a very difficult Copa America,” Messi said, “very competitive, bad surfaces, extreme heat.
On the eve of the match, Argentine fans gathered in Times Square and filled the streets of Manhattan before heading to MetLife Stadium. The crowd of 80,102 on a night with 82 degree temperatures and 82% humidity was overwhelmingly pro-Argentine, with only some sections dominated by red-clad Canadian supporters.
It was one of the biggest games for Canadian soccer, which went 0–6 in its only World Cup appearances between 1986 and 2022 and won its only major title at the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Argentina defeated Canada 2-0 tournament opener On 20th June.
“The tournament caught us off guard a little bit,” said Canadian coach Jesse Marsh. “There has been heat, there has been travel, there have been a lot of challenges. …We’re still at the beginning of our process, right? Argentina have probably spent eight years together, seven years with this team, and so we need to develop more players that can contribute so we can make changes to tournament play as well, because ultimately the physicality and the fatigue gets to you. But can dominate.
Canadian star Alphonso Davies limped off in the 71st minute after getting his right foot caught in an apparent challenge with Gonzalo Montiel.
“He’s having X-rays, so we’re hopeful he’s OK, but we’re not sure,” Marsh said.
Canada had two shots on goal: Jonathan David was fouled by Emiliano Martínez from close range in first-half stoppage time, and Martínez had a kick saved on Tani Oluwaseyi in the 89th.
“We started getting lazy. We started to get away from the game plan,” said defender Derek Cornelius, who exchanged jerseys with Messi.
While Messi referred to “final battles”, Scaloni and fans hope Argentina and Messi will return to MetLife for the 2026 World Cup finals.
“We will never be one to close the door,” Scaloni said. “He can stay with our team as long as he wants.”
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AP Copa America coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/copa-america
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