Lionel Messi’s Argentine team debuted with a 2-0 victory over Canada in the opening match of the Copa América 2024.
Photo: Instagram @leomessi – Instagram @leomessi
Messi nailed it from a free kick angle. Vargas tied it with a header. That was the last image of an Argentina-Chile in the Copa América. Three years later, the world champions and La Roja meet again, on the second date of Group A of the United States-2024, this time in a bitter scenario for 10 and the Albiceleste.
MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford – a neighbor of New York – showed a dejected Messi. That Centenario 2016 edition, won by Chile to achieve the two-time American championship, hit the Argentine captain so much that he ended up resigning from the national team. A real earthquake.
It was their third lost Copa América final (Venezuela 2007, Chile 2015 and 2016). But time did justice and football was generous to Messi. Not only did he crown him king of America in 2021, he also gave him the world in Qatar.
Present time, Argentina started the 2024 Copa América dispute on the right foot with a convincing 2-0 victory over Canada in Atlanta. Chile, on the other hand, left Arlington, Texas, crestfallen, after signing a goalless draw with Peru in a bad game.
“We are in a difficult group, now we face a very competitive, very good team, which the arrival of Ricardo Gareca gave something else as well,” Messi warned.
The Albiceleste held three closed practices since Friday, one in Atlanta and two at the Red Bull NY training camp of the MLS, in Hanover (New Jersey), and it emerged that coach Lionel Scaloni is considering changes to the lineup to play in MetLife Stadium.
One of them would be the entry of Nicolás González, Fiorentina’s left winger, in place of Ángel Di María, although it was also revealed that Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan) would be under the coach’s consideration.
Measurement and a noticeable drop in La Roja
In Chile not everything is long faces. The coach of La Roja, the Argentine Ricardo Gareca, valued the point against his former Peruvian managers, and considered that “we are where we started, with possibilities.”
“We had the hope of winning, but the most important thing of all is that we added up and there are two games left,” warned the ‘Tigre’.
In the lowest performance since taking the reins of Chile at the end of January, La Roja was imprecise against the Incas in the midst of a panorama of little football, and the few opportunities it had to open the scoring were squandered, mainly by Alexis Sánchez, the captain and offensive reference of the team.
“There is a level, there are players (…) and I am happy with the performance. Then obviously we had chances. I had one or two and this is the Copa América. When you have a chance you have to make it,” stressed the 35-year-old Inter Milan forward.
At what time and where to see Chile vs. Argentina?
Date: Tuesday June 25
Hour: 8:00 pm (Colombian time)
Stadium: MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
Channel: Directv Sports and DGO
