Argentina have advanced to the Copa America 2021 final after defeating Colombia in a penalty shootout in the early morning of Wednesday (7th July) in Brasilia. After taking an early lead in the contest, Albiceleste struggled throughout the match against Colombia, and within the first 20 minutes of the second half, Colombia had equalized. The match finished in a 1-1 draw, and the winner was determined in a penalty shootout, which Argentina won 3-2 to proceed to the final. The match report of the second semifinal of Copa America 2021 is discussed in this article.
Match Report: Argentina vs Colombia
Argentina advanced to the Copa America 2021 final after holding their nerve from the penalty spot to beat Colombia 3-2 in a shootout after a thrilling 1-1 draw at the end of Wednesday’s second semifinal.
The Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was the match’s hero, saving three penalties in the penalty shootout. Martinez saved penalty kicks from Davinson Sanchez, Yerry Mina, and Edwin Cardona. On the other hand, Lionel Messi, Leandro Paredes, and Lautaro Martinez all scored from the penalty spot to send Argentina to the final.
Argentina haven’t won a major tournament since 1993, thus this will be another excellent opportunity for Messi and Argentina to win a big championship.
Lionel Messi had played in 149 international matches for Argentina before this encounter. Messi is now only the second South American player to play more than 150 international matches, behind Iván Hurtado (168).
Messi has 76 goals in 150 appearances for Argentina, the eighth-most in international football history. He only needs one more goal to surpass Pele as the South American continent’s all-time leading scorer.
Despite the fact that Messi did not score in the encounter against Colombia, he had a key role in the game’s opening goal, which came in the seventh minute. Messi handed the ball to Lautaro Martinez after rushing through Colombia’s defense. Martinez made no mistakes and slammed the ball into the back of the net.
Argentina adopted a more defensive strategy after taking a 1-0 lead early in the game. On the other side, Colombia got anxious to score.
They continued to press the Argentine defense, especially in the second half, and Luis Diaz’s stunning run down the left-wing helped them score in the 61st minute. He runs with the ball quickly before putting it in the bottom right corner of the net to cut the lead. It was a fantastic effort on his part.
Colombia played carefully after leveling the game, but Argentina made a valiant effort to retake the lead. Lionel Messi twice came close to scoring the second goal for Argentina, but the Colombian defense prevented him both times and the match ended 1-1. After winning the penalty shootout, Argentina secured a place in the championship match against Brazil.
Meanwhile, Argentina are unable to attack efficiently due to a lack of quality in the midfield. They try to charge with two wings, but thus far it hasn’t worked well. If Argentina fails to fix this issue before the crucial championship match against Brazil, they would be in serious trouble.Argentina and Brazil will play the final match at the Maracana stadium on Sunday 11th July(6 a.m. /BST).
Source: United News of Bangladesh