Argentina the world champion successfully defended their Copa America title winning it a record 16th time which separates them from a tie with Uruguay, the Los Albiceleste defeated Colombia by a lone goal scored in extra time.
It was a crowning moment for the south Americans that equaled the three successive major trophies won by Spain between 2008 and 2012(back-to-back European championship titles with the world cup in between) Argentina had a similar combination and a bonus, winning the finalissima before the world cup title when they crushed Italy the former European champions by three goals to nil.
The Journey to the 16th title.
Great alliance of Lionel; Scaloni with his brain and Messi with his feet the result- top ranked team, world champion and back-to-back Copa America plus the finalissimo titles.
They have been very successful, credit to Lionel Scaloni for getting out the best team effort to unleash Lionel Messi and this has led them to a domination of world football. This winning streak almost tied a world record of 37 matches set by Italy the previous year, it started in 2019 when they lost to Brazil at the Copa America semifinals and took them to 36 matches which included victory over Italy in the CONMEBOL-UEFA cup of champions one-off match mentioned earlier it was halted at the world cup in Qatar a surprise loss in their first match against Saudi Arabia the loss was in their favor enabling them to reset, becoming world champions at the tournament. the pressure of not losing for a longtime had its drawback and it`s negative energy was expunged at the right time offering them a resilience to go all the way to their third world title. The timing of that loss was apt, in a group stage and not in a crucial knockout encounter or history defining moment. Italy’s subsequent loss of form after their world record winning streak is instructive. Argentina`s subsequent world cup qualifiers also helped them to build momentum going into the Copa America held in the United States, the world champions are on top the qualifying group even inflicting Brazil`s first loss at the Maracanã stadium. The Brazilians have not lost a home match in an incredible 64 match unbeaten run, winning 51 until that defeat by the world champions. In the Copa America the defending champions Argentina were paired in a group that had Canada, Peru and Chile, just like Spain at the European championship they won all their matches without conceding a goal and scoring five, but in the three matches in comparison the scorelines was different, it was a double two nil defeat of both Canada and Peru with Lautaro Martinez scoring four of the goals, an 80% total return for the Serie A Italian champion and highest goal scorer, he scored their second goal against the stubborn north Americans, another goal against Chile(the only similar score with Spain when they defeated Albania) and a brace against Peru . In the quarter finals against Ecuador the encounter was very tight with Lisandro Martinez `s 35th minute strike which was cancelled out by Rodriguez in the 92nd minute, the match was decided by penalty kicks which they won 4-2 with this victory, Argentina have won the last four successive penalty kicks, apart from Germany no other international side can match them on current form and records when it comes to penalty kicks. they met Canada again in the semifinals a repeat of their first group match. the north Americans were the only team remaining from the invited countries outside the region (Host US,Mexico,Jamaica,Coasta Rica, Honduras and Panama) they lost again by a similar scoreline, in the first match goals were by Alvarez and Martinez in this recent tussle it was Alvarez and Messi. Lautaro Martinez getting his fifth goal. The final was a battle between Argentina and Colombia the form team with an unbeaten run of 28 matches which included a first-time victory over Germany, Brazil and Spain, they were seeking to add another title to the single title won as host in 2001 when they defeated Mexico, the most successful invitee to the Copa America.
The other non-South American Participants
The Copa America were made up of 10 countries with eight having won it at least once with the exception of Venezuela and Ecuador. Additional teams were necessary to expand the tournament with two teams usually needed to have equal number of teams in each group and also to create a distinct tournament experience. teams from Asia such as Japan and Qatar have participated while the United States (2016 and 2024) are the only non-CONMEBOL host. Canada lost the third-place match to Uruguay on penalties 4-3 after an entertaining 2-2 draw. it was their debut at the tournament and joined Mexico (1993), United States (1995) and Honduras (2001) as the fourth team to reach this stage in their first attempt. Mexico finished second while Honduras finished third in their debut appearance.
The Final
The world champions and defending Copa America Champion
The final match was disrupted by crowd disturbance and other issues and the match itself was an intriguing contest with few chances, but Cordoba hit the woodwork in the first half and Argentina had a goal ruled out as offside in the in the 75th minute of the second half before then, the unthinkable happened Messi had a non-contact injury and was replaced in the 66th minute similar to the 2016 European championship finals when Ronaldo did not finish the final as a result of injury, he was in tears replaced by Gonzalez the match reached extra time Argentina were strong favorites and had prevailed against Colombia on penalties in their three most recent meetings in this tournament 1993,2015 and 2021.it was not necessary, they took the lead! it was a Brillant goal from an equally Brillant pass from Lo Celso to the super sub Lautaro Martinez which produced the winning goal. it was a happy ending for the collective effort from the world champions, it was a sight to behold such performance had its set up and harmony. the coaching staff was made up of their former prominent players Walter Samuel, Aimar, Ayala they were like a family and had lots of players with a great winning mentality Messi, Di Maria that ended his international career after the match, their penalty kick hero of several high profile duels, Emilliano Martinez(A golden glove specialist he collected another best goal keeper award to add to the 2021 Copa America and world cup achievement) even Alvarez just 24 years old, had won the world cup and the treble with Manchester City in the same season.it was a squad brimming with confidence and unity. like the Spanish they had a solid foundation at the youth level. Argentina were world champions at U20 infact the most successful at that level with six titles and also won the Olympic gold back-to-back (2004,2008) with the two most notable transition from the winning junior teams to the senior teams Messi and Di Maria. Both regional champions had their similarities, and the intercontinental duel will provide a glimpse of the better side. Argentina are the defending champions of the finalissima and the record holder and will seek to extend the record to three titles. it promises to be worth it for the fans and the record books.
