da leao： Messi's second-half strike was the dagger Argentina needed to advance to the Copa America finals
da mrbet： Lionel Messi broke his Copa America goal drought and Julian Alvarez also found the back of the net as Argentina coasted into Sunday's tournament final with an relentless 2-0 win over Canada at MetLife Stadium Tuesday night.
The holders turned in an experienced performance against Jesse Marsch's surprise semi-finalists, taking their chances and limiting their opponents to just one shot on target.
Messi had La Albiceleste's first chance of the game, firing narrowly wide of the post from outside the box. Alvarez gave Argentina the lead after 23 minutes, running onto Rodrigo de Paul's pass before finishing past the keeper. Messi should have made it two shortly before half time, but skewed an effort wide after weaving between two Canada defenders.
He made no such mistake after the break, deflecting Enzo Fernandez's driven strike into the net from close range to double their lead in the 51st minute. Canada, for their part, had chances in the second half, piecing together a number of dangerous attacks. But they lost steam when Alphonso Davies exited the game with an apparent ankle injury with 20 minutes to spare.
From there, La Albiceleste made it look relatively easy. They still threatened on the break, and kept Canada at arm's length, coasting their way to third straight major tournament final.
GOAL rates Argentina's players from MetLife Stadium.
Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defense
Emiliano Martinez (6/10):
Barely had a save to make. No penalty heroics required this time.
Gonzalo Montiel (6/10):
Solid at right back. Kept things clean and moved the ball quickly.
Cristian Romero (7/10):
Made one crucial tackle to prevent a counter-attack. Handled Jonathan David effectively.
Lisandro Martinez (6/10):
Was composed when it mattered, and circulated the ball well.
Nico Tagliofico (6/10):
Won all of his tackles and kept things tight when Canada looked to break
AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield
Rodrigo De Paul (7/10):
Assisted Alvarez's goal, and did all of the dirty work in midfield in between.
Alexis Mac Allister (6/10):
Not on the ball loads, but did everything right when he had it. Put in a few important challenges, too.
Enzo Fernandez (8/10):
Dictated everything in central areas, got himself an assist for Messi's goal. A much improved showing.
Angel Di Maria (6/10):
Got forward often, even if he wasn't the cleanest when it came to key moments. Almost grabbed himself an assist with a ridiculous pass to Alvarez.
Getty ImagesAttack
Lionel Messi (8/10):
Dangerous in the first half, deservedly grabbed his first goal of the tournament in the second. A third-straight final for his country.
Julian Alvarez (7/10):
Took his goal well, and could have added a second. Proved his worth over Lautaro Martinez.
Subs & Manager
Nicolas Otamendi (5/10):
Shaky at the back when he came on.
Nahuel Molina (5/10):
Canada had some joy on his flank when he entered the fray. Not a comfortable cameo.
Exequiel Palacios (N/A):
No time to make an impact, entered for Mac Allister late.
Lautaro Martinez (N/A):
No time to make an impact, but still leads the Golden Boot race
Nicolas Gonzalez (N/A):
No time to make an impact, was switched out of the XI in favor of Di Maria.
Lionel Scaloni (8/10):
Made the call to go with Alvarez over Martinez, and it paid dividends. Three straight major tournament finals for the manager, who seems to know what he's doing. Well done.