Argentina clinched the Copa America 2021 after beating Brazil 1-0 on Sunday (11th June) in front of nearly 5,000 spectators at the Maracana Stadium. Albiceleste adopted a cautious approach to the game after Di Maria gave them an early lead while Brazil did their best to cut the lead but were unable to do so due to a determined Argentine defense.Messi had a golden opportunity to score in the final towards the end of the match but instead blew it because he couldn't keep control of the ball. The match report of the Copa America 2021 final is discussed in this article.
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Match Report of Copa America 2021 Final: Argentina vs Brazil
Argentina won the Copa America for the first time in 28 years courtesy of Angel Di Maria's stunning first-half goal.Argentina took an early lead in the 22nd minute of the final match at the iconic Maracana Stadium as veteran attacking midfielder Angel Di Maria put the ball into the Brazil net after receiving a perfect cross from midfielder Rodrigo de Paul.
Before Di Maria's goal, both teams tried to play a little more carefully. But after falling behind by one goal, Brazil began to dominate the game and had complete control of the ball. They were creating opportunities, but a tenacious Argentine defense denied them.
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Brazil ramped up the heat in the second half and despite putting all of their best-attacking players on the field they were unable to equalize against an Argentine defense led by two great midfielders, Rodrigo de Paul and Paredes.
Messi was unusually silent throughout the contest. He squandered a wonderful opportunity to put the game away from Brazil with two minutes left in the game. However, Brazil were unable to score in the end, and Argentina won the championship.
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Messi finished as a joint top scorer with 5 goals and won the best player award along with Neymar.
The referee issued nine yellow cards In the Copa America 2021 final. Brazil got four yellow cards, while Argentina received five.
This was Brazil's first competitive loss since the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia when they were defeated by Belgium while Argentina have gone undefeated in 20 games under head coach Lionel Scaloni.
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Bottom Line
Argentina won their record 15th Copa America championship thanks to an early goal by Angel Di Maria. Neymar's Brazil put forth a valiant effort throughout the match, but the Argentine defense held firm for the majority of the time, and Brazil was unable to score. This is Argentina's first major trophy in almost three decades.
Prior to this year's edition, they last won the Copa America in 1993. Football sensation Lionel Messi also earned his first major title with the Argentine national team after appearing in five finals, including four Copa America and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Copa America 2021 had seen some incredible individual performances, and the best team ultimately won the tournament.