Ideal Start for Argentina in Copa America

Argentina, led by the legendary Lionel Messi, kicked off their Copa America title defense with a well-deserved 2-0 victory over Canada in the opening match held in Atlanta, USA.

Julián Alvarez broke the deadlock in the 49th minute, but the impressive performance of Canadian goalkeeper Max Crepeau forced Argentina to wait until the 88th minute to secure the second goal, scored by substitute Lautaro Martinez, the Inter Milan star, with an assist from captain Lionel Messi.

In front of 70,000 spectators at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Argentina enjoyed immense support from their fans for their deserved win against the world’s 48th-ranked team, who put up a valiant fight against the 15-time champions (a record shared with Uruguay).

Messi, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, set a record for the most appearances in Copa America, with 35 matches, surpassing Chilean goalkeeper Sergio Livingstone.

“We were aware of Canada’s capabilities,” Messi said after the victory. “It was a very tough and physically demanding match, especially in the first half. There weren’t many spaces.”

The 36-year-old, who won his first major title with Argentina in 2021 against Brazil in the Copa America final and followed it with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, added, “Fortunately, we found a solution quickly in the second half and played better.”

While Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni was pleased with his players’ performance, he expressed frustration with the pitch in Atlanta, where artificial grass was overlaid with natural grass after Atlanta United’s last match on June 15. “In this match, we faced both the opponent and the pitch. This was not conducive to putting on a good show. We had to adapt our play style, and most importantly, we won.”

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez described the pitch as “disastrous”: “We need to improve in this area; otherwise, Copa America will remain below the standard of the European Championship.”

Despite the loss, Canada’s American coach, Jesse Marsch, was proud of his team’s efforts. He said, “We played without fear. I think we learned a lot, and most importantly, we showed that we can compete against top teams.”

Marsch, who was leading Canada in his third match, was displeased with the lengthy wait for the Argentine players to return at halftime. “When we were waiting, I knew they were analyzing how to play against us. I hope the referees manage this situation better. If we were five minutes late, we would have been fined. Let’s see what happens with Argentina.”

Argentina will face Chile in their second match on Tuesday in New Jersey before wrapping up their group stage campaign against Peru on the 29th of this month in Miami.