Lautaro Martinez’s late strike sends Argentina into quarter-finals – Firstpost

Lionel Messi’s Argentina stormed into the quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa America on Wednesday after Lautaro Martinez scored a late goal to help the defending champions to a 1-0 win over Chile. The goal came in the 88th minute after a scramble sparked by a Messi corner kick.

The free kick was headed towards goal by defender Lisandro Martinez. The ball landed in front of goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, where Argentinian Giovani Lo Celso and Chilean Nicolas Fernandez were pressing the goalkeeper. Lo Celso shot the ball away from Bravo and it rebounded to Chile’s Igor Lichnovsky, who tried to shoot it wide.

Lautaro Martinez calmly converted the rebound with Argentina’s 21st shot of the game to score his second goal of the tournament.

The players stood and waited for three minutes while the goal, Martinez’s 26th for the national team, was confirmed via video review.

Argentina leads Group A with six points, followed by Canada with six and Chile and Peru with one point each. The Albiceleste close out the first round on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida, against Peru, while Canada faces Chile in Orlando, Florida.

A day after his 37th birthday, Messi showed off his ability to turn and slalom through defenses in front of 81,106 enthusiastic spectators at a sold-out MetLife Stadium, the host venue for the 2026 World Cup final. Argentina dominated shots on goal 21-3 and corners 11-0. Chile didn’t score its first attempt until the 72nd minute.

Messi came closest to scoring ahead of Martinez in the 36th minute with a shot from 25 yards that rebounded off the post to the left of Bravo. Messi received treatment for nearly two minutes on the thigh of his right leg after being kicked by Gabriel Suazo in the 24th minute.

Bravo parried Nicolas Gonzalez’s shot off the crossbar after another pass from Messi in the 62nd minute.

Argentina had more shots on goal than Chile, leading 17-0 before Rodrigo Echeverria’s shot was saved by Emiliano Martínez after losing possession in the 72nd minute. The goalkeeper made another save from Echeverria in the 76th minute.

On the 46th anniversary of Argentina’s first World Cup win, the teams returned to the stadium where Chile defeated Argentina on penalties in the 2016 Copa America final. That defeat prompted Messi to announce his retirement from the national team, only to reverse his decision seven weeks later.

At least 90% of the fans wore Argentine jerseys, most with Messi’s name and number 10.

Bravo, the oldest player in Copa America history at 41, made eight saves in his 150th international appearance. He and Messi, former teammates at Barcelona, ​​chatted as they led their teams onto the field for the national anthems.

A few small brown patches were visible behind a goal on a grass pitch in a stadium where the usual surface is artificial turf. The pitch was narrow, and construction work was planned for the World Cup to create a wider field.

With agency contributions

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