On Saturday, Argentina will face Brazil in the Copa America final, which promises to be a thrilling contest.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was the star of the day as he made three saves to help Argentina edge Colombia 3-2 in penalties. At the Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia, regulation time ended 1-1 on Tuesday.
Since the Copa America in 1993, Argentina are yet to win a major title and they’ll be looking to end that this time around perhaps.
However, a major stumbling block in tournament hosts Brazil stand in their way.
Brazil made it to the final after defeating Peru 1-0 on Monday in the other semi-final.
On Tuesday night, after only seven minutes of play, Argentina had scored. Rodrigo De Paul found Messi in the penalty box with a through pass. The out-of-contract Barcelona player earned his fifth assist of the tournament with a pass to Lautaro Martinez, who knocked the ball past Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina.
Estas fueron las acciones más destacadas del encuentro entre @Argentina y @FCFSeleccionCol por la Semifinal de la CONMEBOL #CopaAmérica
🇦🇷 Argentina 🆚 Colombia 🇨🇴#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/PQAVmSHFSt
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) July 7, 2021
Colombia, led by Juan Cuadrado, hit the crossbar and the post in the second half before Luis Diaz equalized in the 61st minute, getting the ball on the left side of Argentina’s box and shot almost without angle to beat Martinez.
In regular time, Messi’s last great chance came in the 81st minute, when he hit Ospina’s right post from close range.
In the shootout, the Argentine goalie was outstanding, saving efforts from Davinson Sanchez, Yerry Mina, and Edwin Cardona.
Messi was one of the most thrilled players in the celebrations after scoring from the penalty spot. Despite a trophy-laden career so far, La Pulga is yet to celebrate a major honor with Argentina and he now has a golden chance to make that right.
Argentina are up against Brazil, who are the favorites to retain the Copa America on home soil once again.
Martinez, who was overcome with emotion after the game, declared that he would like to face the Brazilians in the Maracanã Stadium final.
“They’re a superb team and the favorites. However, we have a terrific coach and the best player in the world, and we are adamant about winning “he explained.
¡Para el infarto! Tremenda definición por penales entre @Argentina y @FCFSeleccionCol, con Emiliano Martínez 🇦🇷 como gran figura
🇦🇷 Argentina 🆚 Colombia 🇨🇴#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/g8kAqAbwSH
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) July 7, 2021
