What a night at MetLife Stadium! Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi helped Argentina to a 2-0 win over Canada to reach the Copa America final. It was a high stakes game, but the result was incredible!
Canada started the game with a bang, catching Argentina off guard. Jacob Shaffelburg had not one but two shots on goal, but failed to make a proper save. Messi, who seemed to have just started his warm-up, missed a shot from distance after 10 minutes.
The game really came alive when Rodrigo De Paul found space and fed the ball to Alvarez, who elegantly slid the ball past Maxime Crepeau. Not only did that open the scoring, it seemed to solidify Argentina’s grip on the game. Before we knew it, Angel Di Maria almost capitalized on a rare mistake from Alphonso Davies, and Messi almost doubled the lead just before the break.
In the second half, Messi did what he does best: he scored his 109th international goal, a beautiful goal confirmed after a nail-biting VAR check. Alvarez almost had another goal when Crepo’s quick reflexes stopped him. Despite missing captain Davis through injury, Canada were not going to back down, with Tani Oluwaseyi almost heading home a late winner.
Alvarez? Well, he proved that he is not only a club hero but also a key player on the international stage, and he equalled the football legend in scoring in the semi-final.
Messi’s magical run on the international stage may be coming to an end, but he’s not over the surprise yet, scoring his 38th goal for his country. For Canada, their dream run may be over, but Jesse Marsh has laid a solid foundation for future battles as they look to the 2026 World Cup.
