Lionel Messi made history by scoring his 109th international goal, the first of the tournament, leading defending champions Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Canada on Tuesday night, securing their place in the Copa America final.
Julian Alvarez opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, with Messi following up in the 51st minute by redirecting Enzo Fernandez's shot past Canada's goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau. This marks Messi's 28 goals in his last 25 matches for Argentina and his 14th in Copa America play, just three shy of the record.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo with 130 goals holds more international goals than Messi, who recently turned 37. Iran's Al Daei is also close behind with 108 or 109 goals, pending a historical dispute over a goal scored against Ecuador.
Argentina's victory extends their unbeaten streak to 10 games as they aim for a record 16th Copa América title in the upcoming final against Uruguay or Colombia in Miami Gardens, Florida. The team is striving to match Spain's feat of consecutive championships around their 2010 World Cup win.
Fans flocked to Times Square and filled the streets of Manhattan before heading to MetLife Stadium, the future site of the 2026 World Cup final. The game saw an overwhelming pro-Argentina crowd of 80,102, with only a few sections supporting Canada.
This was a significant match for Canada, which has struggled in its only World Cup appearances and has only won one major title, the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Canada's Alphonso Davies exited the game in the 71st minute due to a leg injury.
Despite missing the group stage finale due to injury, Messi made his 38th Copa America appearance and contributed significantly in the quarterfinal win over Ecuador. He had several scoring opportunities before netting his goal.
The temporary grass surface at MetLife posed challenges, with water splashing and sand appearing during dribbles. Argentina capitalized on these conditions, with Rodrigo de Paul and Alvarez setting up the goals.
Emiliano Martínez was pivotal for Argentina, making crucial saves to maintain their lead, while Canada's Jonathan David missed key opportunities.
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Messi's 109th goal for Argentina leads them into Copa America final
cgtn.com
