Lionel Messi had a rare off-night in terms of scoring goals as Argentina kicked off their Copa America campaign with a win on Thursday night. The holders secured a 2-0 victory over Canada in Atlanta thanks to goals from Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez. However, the night could have been even better if Messi had not missed two clear opportunities. In the 64th minute, he failed to double Argentina’s lead after rounding Canada keeper Maxime Crepeau, only to be denied by defender Derek Cornelius. Then, in the 78th minute, Messi saw his chipped effort narrowly miss the target as he was left frustrated in front of goal.
Lionel Messi missed two great opportunities in Argentina’s first Copa America match.
Fans were surprised to see Messi fail in these situations, with some expressing concerns that age might be catching up with him as he approaches his 37th birthday.
One fan commented, “Messi’s getting old. Father Time might be catching up with him.”
Another added, “Messi’s finishing skills are not what they used to be, but his playmaking is still top-notch.”
Some fans even went as far as saying that playing in the MLS has negatively affected Messi’s game.
Despite not scoring himself, Messi had a successful night by setting up Martinez for the winning goal.
He provided an excellent pass to his teammate, who calmly finished from close range to secure a victory for the defending champions.
Additionally, Messi created the first goal by passing to MacAllister, who then assisted Alvarez for an easy tap-in after a collision with the opposing goalkeeper.
Initially, he missed a great opportunity to increase Argentina’s lead when he rounded Canada’s goalkeeper, Maxime Crepeau, but couldn’t finish into the empty net.
The 36-year-old football icon went on to miss a scoring opportunity when he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper after successfully breaking through the defense.
After missing his second crucial chance of the evening, Messi dropped to the ground in shock. Reflecting on the tough match, Messi stated, “We anticipated it to be a challenging game, very physical. There was limited space in the first half.” Fortunately, they quickly found a goal in the second half. Despite acknowledging room for improvement, he admitted, “It was still a complicated game.”
In addition, Thursday’s match marked a milestone for Messi as he broke the all-time record for Copa America appearances, surpassing the previous record held by Chilean goalkeeper Sergio Livingstone. He also made history by becoming the first Argentine to participate in seven Copa America tournaments. Argentina’s next challenge will be against Chile in their second group match at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Tuesday.
