Argentina vs Canada highlights, ARG 2-0 CAN, Copa America 2024: Messi, Alvarez on target as defending champion books ticket to final

Defending champion Argentina is through to the Copa America 2024 final after a 2-0 win against Canada. Goals from Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi guide the Albiceleste to the summit clash where they will face either Colombia or Uruguay.

Millar sends an inswinging cross from the right flank hoping to find a teammate, but he overcooks it and the ball goes out of play. 

Four minutes added at the end of the second-half!

Canada with another chance as Larin sends a cross inside the box from the left. Oluwaseyi has a free header and tries to guide the ball towards the ball, but fails to keep his effort on target. Canada has had two back-to-back goalscoring opportunities. It is is really poor defending from the defending champion here. 

Argentina is playing with fire as it is another loose pass at the back. Oluwaseyi gets the ball and shoots at goal but Martinez makes the save. 

Argentina booking: Nahuel Molina is the latest player to see a yellow card. 

It is sloppy at the back from Argentina as an attempted clearance falls straight to Millar. He had Ali in support inside the box but went for the shot himself from distance, missing the target by quite a distance. 

Jesse Marsch is a busy man on the touchline, constantly urging his team forward. If Canada gets one now, it will completely change the dynamic of the match. 

Canada booking: Kone gets a yellow card for intentionally kicking the ball at De Paul, while he was down the ground. A cheap card to concede. Kone’s actions almost leads to a tussle between the teams but the referee does well to control the situation. 

Argentina subs: IN- Gonzalez, Palacios OUT- Di Maria, Mac Allister

Canada Booking: Coach Jesse Marsch gets a yellow card for dissent. He wasn’t happy at the referee’s decision to stop a Canada attack as Di Maria went down inside the box.

Argentina is not exactly sitting back but that urgency is not there to get another goal. It might be a tactic to reserve energy ahead of the final but can turn out to be risky. 

Canada subs: IN- Osorio, Choiniere OUT- Davies, Eustaquio 

Argentina sub: IN- Molina OUT- Montiel 

Davies tries to shake off his injury, which he suffered after coming together with Montiel. He came back on the pitch but immediately sat down again. It looks like Canada will have to make a substitution. 

Ali Ahmed swings a cross inside the Argentina box from the right but it is straight at Emi Martinez, who collects the ball. 

Argentina looks to break with a long ball out of its own half. Messi chases but Crepeau sees the danger and comes out to clear. 

Argentina sub: IN- Otamendi OUT- Tagliafico

Canada sub: IN- Oluwaseyi OUT- Davids

It was painful for De Paul, who takes his time in getting up and is visibly not happy with Crepeau’s challenge. 

Canada booking: Eustaquio sees a yellow for his tactical foul on De Paul. He takes one for the team there as Argentina was breaking on another counter. 

Di Maria finds Alvarez with an inch-perfect aerial through ball. The Manchester City forward shows good control to bring the ball down and make his way inside the box. He shoots at goal but sends it straight to Crepeau.

A loose pass at the back allows Canada to counter. Davids tries to find Larin with the pass but the latter fails to control it and Argentina gets the ball away. 

Canada subs: IN- Ahmed, Millar OUT- Laryea, Shaffelburg

It is not the cleanest of goals but Messi will not care. Enzo takes a shot from the edge of the box after Canada fails to clear its lines. The shot takes a touch off Messi and ends up at the back of the net. The Canadian players protest for a Messi offside and VAR has a lengthy check. In the end, the replay shows that Cornelius plays Messi onside and the goal is given. Lionel Messi’s first goal of Copa America 2024. 

Johnston puts the ball inside the Argentina box but Canada cannot capitalise. Eustaquio has a chance to get a shot away but takes a touch too many, before Argentina’s defence gets back in shape and clears the ball. 

Alvarez is fouled by Bombito early in the second-half and Argentina has a freekick. 

Messi clips the ball in but the cross is underhit and Canada gets the ball away. 

Argentina lead sCanada 1-0 as the second-half of their Copa America 2024 semifinal match gets underway at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. 

Julian Alvarez’s goal keeps Argentina in a 1-0 lead against Canada in the Copa America 2024 semifinal clash. 

Argentina stitches another attack, which finishes with Messi attempting to dink the ball from the edge of the net. But Crepeau had his goal covered and the ball anyway, goes out of play.

Two minutes added at the end of the first-half!

Lisandro’s diagonal finds Di Maria on the right flank,. He spots Alvarez and Messi in the middle and sends a low cross. Alvarez leaves the ball for Messi, who controls the ball and makes his way inside the box. He cuts in and shoots at the near-post but fails to keep his effort on target. The search for a first goal in Copa America 2024 continues for Lionel Messi. 

Argentina’s approach-play has been good but one drawback has been the Albiceleste rushing through their moves. In an attempt to pierce the Canada backline with their one-touch football, the final ball is often being rushed. 

The Canada defence was left exposed yet again as the Albiceleste attacked in numbers. Messi spreads the ball to an overlapping Tagliafico on the left and the latter goes for a shot from a tight angle. The shot is blocked and goes out for an Argentina corner. 

Messi takes the corner and the delivery is met by a Lisandro Martinez header. However, he just manages to hit the side-netting. 

Davies switches off on the right for a second, allowing Di Maria to pounce on the ball. He sees Crepeau off his line and tries to dink the ball inside the net. However, the power on the chip is too much and the ball goes out of play. 

Romero looks okay to continue after receiving the necessary attention. 

It is a painful one for Romero as he is still on the ground, receiving medical attention. 

Canada booking: Jonathan David gets the first booking of the night as he sees a yellow card for his late challenge on Romero. 

Canada is trying to slow down the pace of the match, as its search for an equaliser continues. Argentina is letting it have the ball inside its own half. The press is only coming when Canada tries to enter the final third. 

Canada tries to get a quick equaliser and has a good chance from a free kick. Davies swings the ball inside the box but the Argentina backline gets it away to safety. The danger is not over, with a cross coming in from the left flank but it is straight to Martinez, who collects the ball without fuss. 

De Paul is not closed down in the middle of the park and has all the time to make a forward pass to Alvarez, which splits open the Canada defence. Bombito slides in but fails to make contact with the ball. Alvarez keeps his composure to slot the ball inside the net. Crepeau has come off his line to narrow the angle but Alvarez nutmegs the Canada keeper to score the goal. 

Argentina is dominating the ball with 61 per cent possession but it is Canada, which has created the better chances till now. Scaloni’s men are yet to find a rhythm. 

Alvarez sees Crepeau off his line and tries to catch him out with a shot from inside his own half. However, the effort is miles off target as the Canadian keeper sees the ball go out of play. 

Canada does well to play the ball out of pressure. Kone makes a good run and passes the ball to Larin. Larin is not in the best position to shoot and tries to find Shaffelburg on the left, but the pass is just behind him. 

Messi tries to find Alvarez by clipping the ball inside the box but the pass is overhit and Crepeau gets the ball. 

Di Maria gets the ball on the right flank. He cuts in and finds Messi with a short pass. Messi goes for a low shot but just drives its past the near post. 

Argentina trying to pierce the Canada backline with some quick one-touch passing in the final third but the slow pitch proving to be a deterrent for Scaloni and his men. 

There is a lot of sand and moisture underneath the pitch, which is slowing down the ball by a significant margin. Not the best football pitch you’ll see. 

Copa America 2024: Smaller US grounds, poor quality of surface hamper tournament

The ongoing Copa America’s quality has been hampered due to the state of the playing conditions in the United States.

Shaffelburg gets the ball on the left side of the Argentina box and goes for a shot. However, he fails to keep his effort down and the ball goes out for an Argentina goalkick. 

Canada gets an early corner but fail to make anything from it as the ball is sent straight to Martinez, who holds on to the ball. 

It is a slow start to the match with Argentina enjoying plenty of possession inside its own half. Canada is not going for the early press. 

The Copa America 2024 semifinal match between Argentina and Canada is underway at the MelLife Stadium in New Jersey. 

Emiliano Martínez(GK); Montiel, Romero, Lisandro, Tagliafico; Di Maria, De Paul, Enzo, Mac Allister; Messi (C), Alvarez 

Crepeau(GK), Davies, Cornelius, Bombito, Johnston; Eustaquio, Kone; Shaffelburg, David, Laryea; Larin

Canada is preparing for a colossal Copa America semifinal showdown against Argentina on Tuesday at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in what its coach Jesse Marsch has likened to a David vs Goliath battle.

Argentina, the World Cup winner in 2022, is defending Copa champion and top the FIFA rankings, while Canada is ranked 48th in the world and is making its debut in the tournament. 

“They’ve only lost twice in five years,” Marsch said of Argentina. “(Lionel) Messi is the best player to ever play the game. But we believe we have a chance and that’s the way we’re preparing.” 

Despite losing 2-0 to Argentina in its opening match on June 20, in which Messi set up both goals for Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez, Canada remains confident having advanced to the semifinals following a penalty shootout win against Venezuela. 

“We know how good Argentina is because we played against them but we also had success in certain moments,” Marsch told reporters. “I said after the (Venezuela) match that we probably have to play a perfect match and maybe even then it may not be enough.”

(with inputs from Reuters)

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ARG vs CAN, Copa America 2024: Canada primed for role of giant-killer in semifinal clash with Argentina

Canada is preparing for a colossal Copa America semifinal showdown against Argentina on Tuesday in what its coach Jesse Marsch has likened to a David vs Goliath battle.

When and where will the Argentina vs Canada Copa America 2024 semifinal match kick off?

The Argentina vs Canada Copa America 2024 semifinal match will kick off on Wednesday, July 10 (5:30 AM IST) at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. 

Where to watch the live telecast of the Argentina vs Canada Copa America 2024 semifinal match in India?

There is no official confirmation on which Network the Argentina vs Canada Copa America 2024 semifinal match will be live telecasted in India, however, you can follow the LIVE updates on the Sportstar website and app. 

Where to watch the live stream of the Argentina vs Canada Copa America 2024 semifinal match in India?

There is no official confirmation on which platform the Argentina vs Canada Copa America 2024 semifinal match will be live streamed in India, however, you can follow the LIVE updates on the Sportstar website and app. 

Where to watch the live telecast of the Argentina vs Canada Copa America 2024 semifinal match in the USA?

The match will be telecasted across the FOX networks in the USA - FOX, FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and FOX Sports 2 (FS2).