Canada played with great effort when meeting Argentina again in the semi-finals of Copa America 2024. But in the end, Alphonso Davies and his teammates could not surprise the “tango dancers.”.
More than half a month ago, in the opening match of Group A of Copa America 2024, the Argentina national team defeated Canada 2-0 thanks to goals from Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.
In the semifinal rematch this morning, Canada started the game quite well. Their attacks were full of excitement and determination. The first chances came to them, but unfortunately, two consecutive shots by Jacob Shaffelburg both went over the crossbar or missed the post.
The more Argentina played, the more they found rhythm in their play and dominated the game. In the 12th minute, Messi and Di Maria had a smooth pass-and-go combination that ended with a shot from just outside the penalty area that went wide of Messi’s goal post.
But the Argentine fans did not have to wait long to enjoy the joy. In the 23rd minute, De Paul made a precise pass from midfield for Julian Alvarez to break through, showing his ability to sweep past defender Bombito before beating goalkeeper Crepeau to open the score.
Julian Alvarez got past Bombito before scoring the opening goal for Argentina. Photo: Getty
Excited after the goal that broke the deadlock, Argentina played even better with the artistic quality of the “Tango dancers”. Many opportunities were created, but Di Maria, Messi, and Tagliafico failed to take advantage of them.
The most regrettable move was Messi’s surprising shot with his weaker right foot in the penalty area in the 44th minute, but the ball missed the post by a hair.
Despite being outplayed, Canada almost equalized in the first half’s injury time. From a throw-in on the right wing, Argentina’s defense lacked concentration, allowing Jonathan David to tap the ball in from a tight angle near the goal. Fortunately, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was able to close the angle in time to save the goal.
Canadian players “take care” of Messi very carefully. Photo: Getty
After the break, Canada tried to push up their attacking formation but they seemed quite stuck due to a lack of sharpness and rationality in decisive passes.
In the 51st minute, Canada conceded their second goal. Messi “ignited” an attack and in the end, he was the one who stood in a very sensitive position, touched the ball and changed the direction of Enzo Fernandez’s shot, increasing the gap for Argentina.
This is Messi’s first goal at Copa America 2024 and his 109th goal for Argentina.
Messi and Enzo Fernandez celebrate Argentina’s goal to make it 2-0 against Canada. Photo: Getty
With nothing to lose, Canada played boldly, pushing their formation very high but still could not penetrate Argentina’s defense system. Coach Lionel Scaloni’s students had more than enough cunning to know how to slow down, interrupt, and “tear apart” the match to preserve the result.
The final moments of note came in the 89th and 90th minutes, when Tani Oluwaseyi had a chance to shoot in the box. But either his shot failed to beat goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez or his header went wide.
With a convincing 2-0 win, Argentina qualified for the final against the winner of the other semi-final between Uruguay and Colombia. Canada will play for third place against the loser of the semi-final between Uruguay and Colombia.
Argentina vs Canada starting lineup
Argentina (4-4-2): Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, defenders Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez and Nicolas Tagliafico; midfielders Di Maria, De Paul, Enzo Fernandez and Mac Allister; strikers Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez.
Canada (4-2-3-1): Goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, defenders Alistair Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius and Alphonso Davies; defensive midfielder duo Ismael Kone and Stephen Eustaquio; attacking trio Richie Laryea, Jonathan David and Jacob Shaffelburg; striker Cyle Larin.
