EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (AP) – Lautaro Martínez scored on a rebound during a frantic fight in the 88th minute, giving defending champions Argentina and Lionel Messi a 1-0 victory over Chile on Tuesday night that secured a place in the Copa América quarter-finals.
Messi’s corner was sent home with a header from defender Lisandro Martínez. The ball fell in front of goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, where Argentine Giovani Lo Celso and Chilean Nicolás Fernández approached the goalkeeper. Lo Celso kicked the ball to Bravo and she passed it back to Chilean Igor Lichnovsky, who tried to shoot wide.
Lautaro Martínez calmly slotted that rebound into the roof of the net for his second goal of the tournament, Argentina’s 21st shot of the match.
The players waited three minutes while the goal, Martínez’s 26th for the national team, was confirmed in a video analysis.
Argentina leads Group A with six points, followed by Canada with six, and Chile and Peru with one each. The Albiceleste closes the first round against Peru, in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, when Canada faces Chile, in Orlando, Florida.
Playing a day after his 37th birthday, Messi frequently showcased his talent for spinning and passing defenders in front of a sellout crowd of 81,106 at MetLife Stadium, site of the 2026 World Cup final. Argentina dominated 21-3 in shots and 11-0 on corners. Chile only made the first attempt in the 72nd minute.
Messi came closest to scoring before Martínez with a 30-yard shot that deflected off Bravo’s left post in the 36th minute. Messi received treatment on his right thigh for almost two minutes after being kicked by Gabriel Suazo in the 24th minute.
Nicolás González’s shot after another Messi pass in the 62nd was saved at the crossbar by Bravo.
Argentina defeated Chile 17-0 before Rodrigo Echeverría’s 72nd-minute shot after a turnover was saved by Emiliano Martínez. The goalkeeper then made another diving save on Echeverría, in the 76th minute.
On the 46th anniversary of Argentina’s first World Cup title, the teams returned to the stadium where Chile defeated Argentina on penalties in the 2016 Copa América final. That defeat led Messi to announce his international reform, but it reversed his decision seven weeks later.
At least 90% of fans wore Argentina shirts, most with Messi’s name and the number 10.
Bravo, at 41, the oldest player in Copa América history, made eight saves in his 150th cap. He and Messi, former Barcelona teammates, spoke as they led their teams onto the field for the national anthems.
There were some small brown spots behind a goal on a grass pitch set up in a stadium where the usual surface is artificial grass. The surface was narrow, with construction planned to allow for a wider field for the World Cup.
___
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
