The winger played a key role to help Argentina, despite an injured Lionel Messi, to a third straight major tournament trophy
So much of the talk around Copa America 2024, as with any international tournament, has been about Lionel Messi. Could the greatest of all time win yet another trophy? Could this competition be his last? Could Argentina even survive without him?
Two of those questions were answered in full on Sunday night in a raucous Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Yes, Messi won another trophy. And with Angel Di Maria pulling the strings, Argentina proved that they can very much operate without their legendary leader – his influence leading La Albiceleste to a 1-0 Copa America final win.
The hours leading up to the game were marred by the mass confusion that took place around the stadium. Fans, many without tickets, stormed the gates prior to kickoff, and the stadium was still just half full as the opening whistle approached.
And when the game did eventually start, more than an hour after the scheduled kickoff, the first half was a cagey affair, with Argentina nullifying every expansive Colombian attack. There were chances to be found – with Messi and Jhon Duran both coming close – but neither side offered a crucial moment of quality to seize control.
The game was changed in the second half, when Messi exited with an apparent leg injury. His departure sucked the energy out of the Albiceleste’s attacking flow. But Di Maria remained, running up and down the wing, finding neat angles and cute passes. Even as Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni shuffled his pack in extra time – taking off three of his four midfielders – Di Maria created and sprinted, the oldest Argentine on the pitch squeezing every ounce of energy out of his tired legs in his last game in international football.
Lautaro Martinez may have buried the winning goal – with a Gio Lo Celso assist – but it was Di maria’s smart movement that created it. The winger, 97 minutes in, made a clever run to drag the Colombia defense open, vacating a pocket of space that Lo Celso found. Martinez made no mistake.
And at the end of it all, Di Maria and Messi were hugging as the final whistle blew. Di Maria is done with the national team. Messi might be, too. If this was an ending, it was a fine one.
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Hard Rock Stadium.
Source link : https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/di-maria-goes-out-with-a-bang-scaloni-asserts-greatness-winners-and-losers-from-argentina-s-copa-america-final-win-over-colombia/blt32d829cd873fe50b
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Publish date : 2024-07-15 02:56:15
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