Argentina signs off their Copa America 2021 campaign in style with a hard-fought 1-0 win over eternal rivals Brazil. Angel di Maria was the lone goalscorer as La Albiceleste won their 15th title.
As a result, Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina have extended their unbeaten streak to 20 matches. On the other hand, Tite lost his first final in a major tournament since his appointment and Neymar Junior couldn’t keep up to his promise.
The battle between the two rivals was a “David vs Goliath” affair and as it ended, David (Argentina) triumphed against the mighty Goliath (Brazil) ! After losing four finals with his nation, Lionel Messi finally lifted his first-ever international trophy!
Argentina 1-0 Brazil : Team News
Scaloni fielded a 4-4-2 formation and made five changes to the starting 11.
Whereas, Tite opted for his typical 4-3-3 formation and named an unchanged starting lineup.
Argentina 1-0 Brazil : Analysis
Even though the formations and style of play were different, the match was similar to Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Manchester City in the final of the UEFA Champions League this season. Argentina were exploiting Brazil’s weaknesses and Renan Lodi was the main target.
In the initial few minutes, Albiceleste were perfectly balancing defence and attack and were easily penetrating opponent defence. Rodrigo de Paul was excellent throughout the whole match and was doing an excellent job alongside Parades and Lo Celso.
Initially, it was an open game as both sides fail to create much chances but in the 20th minute, Lodi was again targeted. De Paul sent an excellent long ball to di Maria, who calmly lofted it across Ederson to score the goal. He was the trump card that Scaloni was keeping for this very moment and his inclusion was key to their victory.
In the second half, the momentum shifted towards Brazil and the Argentines were sitting deep. Emiliano Martinez was once again the hero for them and forced some excellent saves towards the crucial stages.
Brazil were more deadly in the second half and Richarlison almost made it 1-1 but he was offside. Lionel Messi had a superb opportunity towards the ending stages of the game but Ederson came to the rescue. Similar to Chelsea, the Argentine defence were brilliant and the defensive midfielders ensured that the possession was always theirs. It was a rock-solid defensive display from both sides but Argentina had the last laugh!
Notable Performances
Angel di Maria (7.5/10) – A key figure in the Argentina squad and delivered when it was needed the most. He certainly made the manager proud!
Gonzalo Montiel (7/10) – The main man behind the rock-solid defense and did a great job similar to Reece James’ performance in the CL final.
Ederson (5.5/10) – Once again he has failed to deliver in a major final but he deserved better.
After an enthralling 2021 Copa America final, all eyes would be on whether Lionel Messi would stay at Barcelona and also, who will be the European Champions! Will the trophy come home or will it go to Rome? Adios!
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