Lionel Messi, known as the God of Soccer, missed several scoring opportunities in the 2024 Copa América opening match. However, his precise passes helped his home country, Argentina, secure a victory.
Messi led Argentina to a 2-0 victory against Canada in the opening match of the 2024 Copa América, held at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on the 21st, playing the full match. Argentina relied on Messi’s involvement in both goals for a satisfying victory, marking their first step towards a triumphant start. Messi’s help has led to their second consecutive win in the tournament and a record 16th championship.
Messi, born in 1987, was the oldest player on the field that day among both teams. However, he stood out with his exceptional performance, leaving a strong impression.
Argentina, top-ranked in the FIFA rankings, struggled against Canada who ranks 48th, despite their lower objective strength. Argentina started to falter after missing a golden scoring opportunity in the 8th minute of the first half. Canada’s tenacious defense and goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau’s miraculous saves made Argentina’s offense less sharp. Argentina even struggled against Canada’s occasional counterattacks.
Even Messi, the world’s top football player who has scored 108 goals in A matches alone, was off target with his shooting that day. His shot missed the goal in the 10th minute of the first half, despite being ruled offside. He also failed to convert consecutive one-on-one opportunities with the goalkeeper in the 20th and 34th minutes of the second half, showing an uncharacteristic performance.
Instead, Messi fulfilled his role as a helper rather than a problem solver.
Argentina finally broke through Canada’s defense in the 4th minute of the second half, with Messi’s pass playing a crucial role.
Messi dismantled Canada’s defense with a penetrating pass. Alexis Mac Allister, who had a one-on-one opportunity with the goalkeeper, passed the ball unselfishly with Julian Alvarez finishing it off.
After breaking the deadlock, Argentina felt much more stable and proceeded to dominate with relentless attacks.
Messi shone again when an additional goal was needed. He assisted Lautaro Martinez’s goal with a sublime penetrating pass in the 43rd minute of the second half.
Messi also set a record that day. Playing in his 35th Copa América match, he surpassed Sergio Livingstone of Chile to become the sole player with the most appearances in the tournament’s history.
According to Whoscored.com, Messi received the highest rating of 8.4 out of both teams. He was the only player in the match to achieve a rating in the 8-point range.