Copa America 2024: Argentina’s road to final to defend the Copa crown

New Delhi: The stage is all set for the Copa America 2024 final, with Argentina and Colombia ready to lock horns at Hard Rock Stadium on July 15 at 5:30 am(IST). Argentina, after clinching the World Cup, arrived at the 2024 Copa America in the United States with a target on their backs—to defend their Copa crown. They were certainly the favourites to win the title this year. 

Led by the ever-magical Lionel Messi, La Albiceleste faced a challenging path, but their hunger for glory remained strong. This will be defending champions 16th Copa America title. Let’s relive Argentina’s journey through the tournament match by match.

Group stages

Argentina were part of Group A where they faced Canada, Chile and Peru. Argentina has opened their campaign against a spirited Canadian side. The match was played in a packed Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Julian Alvarez gave the lead to Argentina just four minutes into the second half. Argentina, with Lautaro Martinez’s second goal in the 88th minute, secured a comfortable 2-0 victory, demonstrating their tactical prowess. However, Messi assisted Martinez but didn’t score himself. 

Their second group stage match was against their continental rival Chile. The defending champions were dominant throughout, with 22 goal attempts. They got the best opportunity in the first half, but Argentina star Lionel Messi was denied by the post. 

Despite that, Argentina broke the deadlock through another crucial goal scored by Lautaro Martinez in the 88th minute, just like the previous match. The final score 1-0 showcased Argentina’s resilience and ability to grind out results. After the win, they became the first to book their spot in the quarterfinals.

With qualification to the knockout stages secured, Argentina had their last match with Peru. Lionel Messi missed the game due to a hamstring injury, and manager Lionel Scaloni was suspended. Despite that, the Argentine side emerged victorious with a scoreline of 2-0. Lautaro Martinez again stood out and scored both goals for his side. This victory solidified Argentina’s position at the top of Group A.

Quarter-finals vs Ecuador

Argentina began their Copa America title defence with an international friendly against Ecuador. Before this match, Argentina had defeated Ecuador 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier. Argentina started strong, with Lisandro Martinez scoring for them in the 35th minute. They were about to win the match, but Kevin Rodriguez denied that and equalised the scoreline in the 91st minute. After that, the match went into a penalty shootout. 

Lionel Messi missed his penalty kick in a shootout, but Argentina outlasted Ecuador 4-2 in penalty kicks. Julian Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, Gonzalo, and Nicolas Otamendi scored in the penalty round, while goalkeeper Dibu Martinez shut the doors for Ecuador with his fierce performance. 

Semi-final vs Canada

A rematch with Canada awaited Argentina in the semi-finals. This time, the Canadians came out with a more defensive approach and tried to frustrate the Argentine attack. But 22 minutes into the game, the young gun Julian Alvarez got a pass from De Paul and slotted the ball inside the net. Giving Argentina a 1-0 lead over Canada. In the second half, Messi scored his first goal of Copa America 2024. With that, the defending champion got through to the final after a 2-0 win against Canada. 

Finals vs Colombia

The final against Colombia will be an enthralling encounter. Colombia’s blend of physicality and skill has been impressive throughout the tournament and ended their 23-year-long wait for a major tournament final. They are unbeaten in their last 28 games.

Argentina will try to win a third consecutive major international trophy under manager Lionel Scaloni. Throughout the tournament, Argentina has shown formidable strength, with their only close call coming in a penalty shootout against Ecuador in the quarterfinals. It will look to repeat the same form. With Messi leading the charge and a team hungry for glory, Argentina will be looking to write another chapter in their illustrious Copa America history on July 15th.

 The defending champions, Argentina, made it through to the finals of Copa America 2024 after defeating Canada 2-0. As they prepare for the showdown against Colombia, let’s have a look at their journey to the finals.  Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today