Argentina 2 vs 0 Canada
By Gerald Lutchman
JULIAN Alvarez in the 49th minute and Laturo Martinez in the 88th minute both scored to gave Argentina a comfortable win over an exciting Canada in the first game. It was Alvarez first ever goal at the Copa for Argentina and his first since the brace in the semi final against Croatia at the World Cup in 2022.
The crowd was in an early frenzy when it was announced that both Lionel Messi and Angel de Maria were starting. Messi’s first run at goal was greeted by such a vociferous noise that if the stadium had a roof it would have been blown off. Messi had two golden opportunities to score but muffled both. Messi also became the player with the most appearances at the Copa with 35. This is his seventh tournament.
Argentina dominated with 65% of the possession and had 549 passes compared to Canada’s 267. Canada were unlucky not to have scored thanks to the efforts of Emilio Martinez.
At times Argentina looked very vulnerable at the back and better teams will take advantage of this weakness.
