Messi on target as Argentina beat Canada 2-0 to reach Copa America final
Defending champions Argentina secured their spot in the Copa America final with a 2-0 victory over Canada in Tuesday's semi-final in New Jersey, thanks to goals from Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi.
Argentina is set to face either Uruguay or Colombia in Sunday's final in Florida. This match may be the final opportunity for several senior players, including Messi, Angel Di Maria, and Nicolas Otamendi, to win silverware.
"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."
Despite Argentina's history of success with 15 Copa titles and six finals in the past eight editions, Canada posed a significant challenge in the first 20 minutes. Jacob Shaffelburg had two promising shots that missed the target.
After weathering the initial pressure, Argentina took the lead in the 22nd minute when Rodrigo De Paul set up Alvarez, who slipped between two defenders and finished neatly.
As the 2022 World Cup champions and FIFA's top-ranked team, Argentina gradually dominated the game. Messi nearly doubled the lead in the 44th minute with a skilful move in the box, but his shot went wide.
Canada almost equalized in first-half stoppage time when Jonathan David got a shot off from a long throw, but Emiliano Martinez made the save.
Messi sealed the win for Argentina in the 51st minute by redirecting Enzo Fernandez's shot past Canada's goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau. This goal tied Messi with Peru's Paolo Guerrero and Chile's Eduardo Vargas for fifth place on the all-time Copa America scoring list, each with 14 goals.
Messi's 109th goal for Argentina also moved him past Iran's Ali Daei, making him the second-highest scorer in international football, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 130 goals for Portugal.
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