Before the match at Meatlife Stadium, Messi had played three matches at Copa America 2024 but had yet to score. He only had one assist in the opening match of the group stage, when the opponent was also Canada.
This time, luck smiled on the 37-year-old striker.
Early in the second half, after Enzo Fernandez’s shot, Messi lightly touched the ball, causing it to change direction and leaving goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau helpless. Initially, this goal was counted for Fernandez. However, after reviewing the situation, the organizers credited Messi for his impact that created the goal.
Although standing right in front of the goalkeeper, the Argentine captain was not offside in this phase because a Canadian defender had not yet advanced. After knowing that the goal was counted for him, Messi raised his fist to the sky before running to hug Fernandez to thank him.
This was Messi’s 109th goal in 186 appearances for Argentina. Of these, 14 have come in the Copa America in 38 appearances. Messi also surpassed former Iran striker Ali Daei to become the second-highest scorer at the national team level, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo (130 goals).
If he had taken better advantage of his chances, Messi could have got on the scoresheet in the first half.
The chance came to the Argentina captain in the 12th minute, when a pass from Angel Di Maria put him in a good position to fire his signature left-footed shot into the near corner. However, the ball went wide. In the 44th minute, many Argentina fans stood up to celebrate when they saw Messi dribble past Canada in the penalty area, but his powerful right-footed shot went just wide of the post.
Alongside Messi, Di Maria – another veteran of Argentina – also gave his all in this match. The former Real Madrid striker’s dribbling moves down the right wing put Canada in constant danger.
In addition to creating opportunities for Messi, Di Maria also had a through pass for Julian Alvarez to face the goalkeeper in the second half. He often dropped back to support the defense and also had a chance to score at the end of the first half, with a skillful lob that sent the ball over the bar.
In this match, coach Lionel Scaloni surprised everyone by leaving out Lautaro Martinez – the striker leading the Copa America top scorer race with four goals.
Instead, he put Alvarez in the center forward position. This is a tactical mark of the 46-year-old coach, because Alvarez’s quickness and strength were effective in the opening goal. The striker playing for Man City accelerated to receive a pass from Rodrigo De Paul. He controlled and eliminated the Canadian defender, then calmly slowed the ball down and shot between Crepeau’s legs.
Argentina’s second goal also had De Paul’s mark. In a combination on the right wing, the midfielder passed the ball back, intending to direct it to Messi but failed. However, in an attempt to block, Ismael Kone fumbled the ball to Fernandez, conceding a goal for Canada.