Canada held leaders Argentina scoreless in the first half, but gave up a Julian Alvarez goal early in the second half and ultimately lost 2-0 to the star-studded South American side in their Copa America opener on Thursday.
The 48th-ranked Canadians didn’t stand out in the high-profile match. They had their chances in an entertaining game but seemed to rush the moment and failed to convert.
World Cup champion Argentina had so much class throughout their lineup.
The match attracted a large crowd to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium cheering for Lionel Messi and Argentina. They saw Messi stopped three times by goalkeeper Maxime Crepo, who kept Canada in the game with impressive saves.
Messi had the last laugh with a pass that found substitute Lautaro Martinez behind the defense, and the Inter forward deftly slipped the ball under the onrushing Crepo to score an insurance goal in the 88th minute.
Canada bowed in a scoreless first half but did not break down and although Messi maintained control, the Inter Miami star’s every touch looked dangerous. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez had to make an acrobatic save to block Cyle Larin’s cross with Stephane Eustaquio’s header just before halftime.
Argentina took the lead in the 49th minute of the first half when Messi struck a dangerous ball into the Canadian penalty box. Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister was first to the ball, but was unable to gather it and the ball fell to Alvarez, who had an open goal in front of him.
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The Manchester City forward came close to scoring again a minute later but was denied by Crepo.
Messi almost scored his own goal in the 65th minute after a good clearance from Emiliano Martinez to make it 2-0. But his shot was blocked by Crepo and Messi’s second attempt was deflected off a defender.
Jonathan David soon came close to equalizing for Canada, but his header went over the bar.
After consulting with the video assistant referee, Venezuelan referee Jesus Valenzuela decided not to award a penalty kick to Canada in the 70th minute of the second half when substitute Jacob Shaffelburg collapsed.
A slipping Larin failed to slot the ball home in the 75th minute with Argentine defenders surrounding him. Messi conceded a few minutes later when his delicate chip towards Crepo flashed just wide of the post.
Crepeau blocked Martinez.
Canada now heads to Kansas City on Tuesday to face No. 31 Peru before wrapping up group play against No. 40 Chile on June 29 in Orlando.
The 16-nation tournament will feature 10 teams from South America and six guest teams from CONCACAF representing North, Central America and the Caribbean.
Argentina advanced to Copa America with 13 wins, 1 draw, and 0 losses after winning the Qatar World Cup in December 2022, outscoring its opponents by 32 wins and 4 losses. The only drawback was a 2-0 loss to Uruguay in the World Cup qualifiers last November.
Canada has gone 6-4-4 since Qatar, with one of those losses coming in a penalty shootout loss to the United States in the Gold Cup.
MGM dominated Canada by 9 to win before kickoff, meaning a $10 bet would net you an $80 profit. Argentina was at 1.32, meaning a $10 bet would net you a $3.20 profit.
This is the Canadian men’s first Copa appearance.
They were scheduled to participate in the 2001 competition in Colombia as part of their reward for winning the 2000 Gold Cup. But they never got there because the day before the tournament, CONMEBOL postponed the event for security reasons and when it resumed a few days later, Canadian Soccer sent players back to their clubs.
Argentina has won the South American title 15 times, is tied with Uruguay for the most tournament wins, and has finished runners-up 14 times. Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 in the 2021 final in Rio de Janeiro.
Captain Alphonso Davies, Derek Cornelius, Moise Bombito and Alistair Johnston manned the Canadian defence. Eustaquio was joined in midfield by Ismael Kone, Tajon Buchanan and Liam Millar, and David and Larin up front.
It was the same line-up that coach Jesse Marsh used in the goalless draw against France in the warm-up in Bordeaux on 9 June.
Argentina’s starting 11 featured 5 English Premier League players, 3 Spanish La Liga players, 1 Italian Serie A player, 1 Portuguese First Division player, and Major League Soccer’s Messi.
Messi made his 35th appearance in the Copa America, setting a tournament record.
Argentina has not lost to a CONCACAF team in this tournament since losing 1-0 to Mexico in 2004.
Canada and Argentina have met only once before at senior level, with the South Americans winning 5-0 in Argentina’s final game ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in May 2010 in Buenos Aires.
Angel Di Maria, now 36, appeared in both matches and scored his first goal for Argentina with a highlight reel-turning shot in the 2010 match. Former Argentina star Sergio Aguero, who also scored in the 2010 competition, took home the Copa America trophy before kick-off on Wednesday.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Canada’s Victor Montagliani, who also serves as CONCACAF president and FIFA vice-president, were among the dignitaries shaking hands with the players before kickoff.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
