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Argentina beat Canada 2-0 in the semi-finals of the Copa America 2024 on Tuesday, July 9th at the MetLife Stadium. Both sides started the game with confidence, having comfortable spells of possessions.
But it was Messi who started things off as he got the first chance of the game. Canada started losing grip and Argentina capitalized on it as Rodrigo de Paul set up Julian Alvarez with a good pass for the opening goal of the game in the 22nd minute.
The defending champions sealed the deal in the second half as Messi scored his first goal of the campaign in the 51st minute. Canada did create some dangerous chances, but never looked like scoring and Argentina seemed comfortable thereon.
On this note, let's take a look at the player ratings for Argentina.
Argentina Player Ratings
Emiliano Martinez - 7/10
Emiliano Martinez was a spectator for the majority of the game as he hardly had anything to do. He had to deal with just two shots on target.
Gonzalo Montiel - 6.5/10
Decent showing at the right-back position, but not enough to convince Lionel Scaloni to grant him a starting spot in the final.
Cristian Romero - 7/10
Cristian Romero was tidy at the back as he kept the ball ticking while also covering up his defensive duties. The 26-year-old completed the most passes throughout the match (72) and made some crucial tackles to deal with the threat of Jonathan David.
Lisandro Martinez - 6.5/10
Lisandro Martinez paired up well with Romero at the back and the duo dealt with everything that came down the center. He wasn't troubled much throughout the game.
Nicolas Tagliafico - 6.5/10
Nicolas Tagliafico was a solid presence at the back but seemed to be caught out of position on multiple occasions. Richie Laryea caused him some trouble but nothing substantial came out of it.
Angel di Maria - 7/10
Angel di Maria was not the cleanest on the ball but looked lively on the right flank as he created three chances, completed three dribbles, made three recoveries, and won five duels. He could have earned an assist for his fantastic pass to Julian Alvarez.
Rodrigo de Paul - 8/10
Rodrigo de Paul assumed his role of cleaning up the center and did that well. He won nine duels, made seven recoveries, won two tackles, and made one interception. De Paul even assisted Argentina's opening goal of the game. He looked sloppy in possession but overall did well.
Enzo Fernandez - 8/10
Enzo Fernandez orchestrated the play for Argentina as he dropped deep on several occasions to help in the build-up. He won six duels, made seven recoveries, made one interception, won two tackles, and made one block throughout the game. He even earned an assist for setting up Lionel Messi for his side's second of the game.
Alexis Mac Allister - 7/10
Another decent showing from Alexis Mac Allister. The Liverpool man did not have possession as much as he would have liked, but when on the ball, he looked in control and tried to maintain the fluidity.
Julian Alvarez - 7.5/10
Julian Alvarez scored the opening goal for his side. He was a constant threat upfront and displayed why he should be picked over Lautaro Martinez. The Manchester City forward could have had a brace to his name.
Lionel Messi - 7.5/10
Lionel Messi scored his first goal of the campaign. The 37-year-old looked energetic on the ball as he tried to create chances, played some quick sequences, and displayed a glimpse of his former self. He struggled a bit against the physicality of Canada but got the job done.
Substitutes
Nicolas Otamendi - 6/10
Nicolas Otamendi came on for Tagliafico to prevent him from getting booked and missing the finals. He looked a little out of place.
Nahuel Molina - 5/10
Nahuel Molina struggled in defense as he saw Canada make multiple attempts via his flank.
Exequiel Palacios - 5/10
Did not have much to do in the game.
Lautaro Martinez - 5/10
Lautaro Martinez had little time to find the back of the net.
Nicolas Gonalez - 5/10
Nicolas Gonazlez came on too late to exert his presence in the game.
