The confrontation between the Argentine and Chilean national teams It became, beyond old political disputes, a particular duel. The reason was the two consecutive Copa América finals, in 2015 and 2016, which Chile won the final due to shots from the penalty spot.
The differences were exacerbated by what happened in 2019, also in the Cup, when in the match for third place they were Lionel Messi and Gary Medel expelled, for a fight they had on the playing field.
The first of those finals was against a rival who exhibited a high level. The team was led by Jorge Sampaoli, and after the goalless draw they won 4-1 on penalties, at the National Stadium in Santiago.
Argentina had just fallen a year earlier in the final of the World Cup in Brazil, against Germany, and the questions were fierce for the national team. Even Messi himself was one of the most targeted by the public.
The Copa América del Centenario was held in the United States. The selected one, despite the leadership problems that the Argentine Football Association (AFA) was going through, he managed to access a new decisive meeting. The rival was once again Chile, and the outcome was identical to the previous year: those now led by Juan Antonio Pizzi won 4-2 on penalties. The match was played in the same stadium as this duel yesterday for Group A: MetLife of New Jersey.
The surprise was even greater when Messi announced that same day that he was retiring from the national team, due to the chain of frustrations he had experienced. “That’s it. The National Team is over for me,” the captain said. And he added: “I already tried a lot, it hurts me more than anyone not to be able to be champion with Argentina, but that’s how it is, it didn’t happen and unfortunately I’m leaving without being able to achieve it.”
The man from Rosario decided to return to the national team a little two months later, and from there he began to build a path that would end up placing him on the podium alongside Diego Armando Maradona, with world title included.
The Copa América match that was played one day after his 37th birthday found him at the top of football. The team showed more intentions than the Chileans and was able to win. The three points placed them in the quarterfinals. Without a doubt, Messi’s return to that stage is what will be marked after eight years in which he spent from hell to heaven.
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