Brazil v Argentina:
10am AEST Sunday the 10th of July
Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. will play for the South American title this Sunday at the historic Maracaná Stadium in Río de Janeiro.
Argentina won 3-2 Colombia on the penalty shootout after 1-1 draw in the regular time of the second semi-final. With a strong performance from Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, the goalkeeper who saved three penalty kicks, La Albiceleste secured a spot in the Copa America final.
The defending champions, Brazil, defeated Perú 1-0 in Monday’s semi-final in Río de Janeiro thanks to a goal from Lucas Paquetá (35m) which secured their spot in the tournament decider.
The challengers are led by Lionel Messi who wants to lift his first major trophy with Argentina. After the semi-final against Colombia, Messi talked to the media and stated “What I want the most is to win a title with the National Team”.
Lionel Messi played and lost the Copa America finals of 2007 where Argetnina were heavy favourites to win the Copa, but Brazil crushed Messi’s hopes with a 3-0 win in the final.
Yet in 2015 and 2016 Argentina lost against Chile in the penalty shootout, and they also lost to Germany in the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup at the Maracaná Stadium.
Neymar Jr. and Messi have had an exceptional tournament so far with Neymar recording two goals and three assists while the Argentine has four goals and five assists to his name
The final will be played in an empty Maracaná Stadium due to COVID-19 health protocols.
