Messi on target as Argentina beat Canada to book spot in Copa America Final.
Defending champions Argentina have booked their place in the Copa America final after goals from Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi secured a 2-0 victory over Canada in Tuesday’s semi-final in New Jersey. The victory sets up a final clash against either Uruguay or Colombia in Florida on Sunday, a match that could represent the last shot at silverware for several senior squad members, including Messi, Angel Di Maria, and Nicolas Otamendi.
“Let’s enjoy what we are experiencing as a national team, as a group. It is not easy to be in a final again, to compete again to be champions,” Messi told TyC Sports. “I’m living it as I have been living everything lately: enjoying it very much and being aware, as it happens to Fideo (Di Maria) and Ota (Otamendi), that these are the last battles.”
Argentina, 2022 World Cup winners and currently ranked number one in FIFA’s rankings, have won a joint-record 15 Copa America titles and have reached the final six times in the past eight editions. However, Canada caused them real problems in the opening 20 minutes, with Jacob Shaffelburg twice shooting wide from promising positions.
After soaking up the early pressure, Argentina took the lead when Rodrigo De Paul played through Alvarez, who ghosted in between two defenders to score with a tidy finish in the 22nd minute. Gradually, Argentina took control, and Messi had a chance to double their lead in the 44th minute, creating space in the box with some silky footwork before lashing his effort wide.
Canada nearly snatched an equaliser against the run of play in first-half stoppage time, as Jonathan David sneaked in ahead of his marker to get on the end of a long throw, but his close-range shot was hit straight at goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Messi, who had struggled with a muscle injury earlier in the tournament, appeared revitalised on a hot and humid evening at the MetLife Stadium. He scored Argentina’s second goal in the 51st minute, sticking out a boot to divert Enzo Fernandez’s shot from the edge of the area past Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.
The goal moved Messi to joint fifth in the all-time Copa America scoring charts, level with Peru’s Paolo Guerrero and Chile’s Eduardo Vargas, with 14 goals. His 109th goal for Argentina also saw him surpass Iran’s Ali Daei to take sole possession of second place on the all-time international scoring charts. Messi now trails only Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 130 goals for Portugal.
Despite their two-goal cushion, Argentina had a nervy finish to the match as Canada substitute Tani Oluwaseyi tested Martinez with a crisp shot in the 89th minute before directing a glancing header wide a minute later.
For Canada, the defeat ends a remarkable run in which they defied expectations and performed better than their higher-ranked CONCACAF rivals Mexico and the United States, their fellow co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup. “They’re the best team in the world, but at the same time we had our chances in the beginning of the game,” midfielder Stephen Eustaquio told Canadian broadcaster TSN. “If we scored one of our chances, the story of the game would probably have been different. To get here, the last four of the Copa America, it’s a big achievement.”
Reuters
