Lautaro Martinez
Argentina advances on penalties to Copa final against Brazil
It will be Lionel Messi’s Argentina against Neymar’s Brazil in the Copa America final on Saturday at the historic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Argentina won its semifinal against Colombia 3-2 on penalties after three saves by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Regular time ended 1-1 at the Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia on Tuesday.
“Emi is a phenomenon. We trusted him,” Messi said after the match. “It was an objective to play all the matches and now we will try to win this final.”
Read:Brazil edges Peru to reach Copa America final
Argentina hasn’t captured a major title since 1993 when it won Copa America. On that occasion, the team eliminated Colombia on penalties 6-5 in the semifinal after a goalless draw.
Brazil beat Peru 1-0 on Monday to advance to the final. The Selecao has never lost a Copa America final at home and has won five out of six matches so far.
It took Argentina only seven minutes to open the scoring. Rodrigo de Paul found Messi in the penalty box with a through pass. The star earned his fifth assist in the tournament with a pass to Lautaro Martinez, who put the ball in the right corner past Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina.
A more aggressive Colombia, led by Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, hit the bar and the post in the second half before it leveled in the 61st minute with Luis Diaz, who received the ball on the left of Argentina’s box shot almost with no angle to beat Martinez.
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Argentina reacted after 67 minutes when Ángel di María came into the match, replacing Nico González. The winger created several opportunities including one in the 80th minute that ended with Davinson Sanchez saving a finish by Lautaro Martinez on the goal line.
The last big opportunity in regular time came with Messi hitting Ospina’s right post in 81st minute from short range.
Martinez saved the shots taken by Sanchez, Yerry Mina and Edwin Cardona in the shootout. Messi converted his opportunity from the spot and was one of the most joyous players in the celebrations. He seeks his first major title with Argentina against favorites Brazil.
Rodrigo de Paul missed his shot, but Leandro Paredes and Lautaro Martinez netted their chances for Argentina in the shootout. Cuadrado and Miguel Borja scored from the spot for Colombia.
Read:Argentina beats Ecuador at Copa, plays Colombia in semifinal
In tears, Martinez said after the match he wanted to face the Brazilians in the final in the Maracana Stadium.
“This is a matter of luck, today it was mine. Brazil is a great team, the favorite,” Martinez said. “But we have a great coach, we have the best player in the world and we will try to win it,” he said.
Colombia will play on Friday in the third-place playoff against Peru.
3 years ago
Football Transfers 2021: The hot favorites to replace Sergio Aguero at Man City
Sergio Aguero was transferred from Atletico Madrid to Manchester City for a world record fee of 31.5 million pounds in the summer transfer window of 2011. He scored in injury time against QPR in the final Premier League match of the 2012 season and guided Man City to win their first-ever Premier League title. Kun has since become a Manchester City legend. In an official statement, Man City announced that the Argentine forward will leave the club at the end of the 2020-2021 season. In this article, we have mentioned some names who are the hot favorites to replace Sergio Aguero at Man City.
The probable candidates who can replace Man City’s Aguero as a center forward
It will be difficult for Man City to find a striker with the same agility and versatility as Sergio Aguero. However, the Citizens will seek to include one of Europe's best forwards at the moment to replace their most successful goal-scorer ever. Let's take a look at some of the striker names who could succeed Sergio Aguero at Manchester City.
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6) Philippe Coutinho
Philippe Coutinho was bought by FC Barcelona for a record transfer fee from Liverpool in 2018. But Coutinho has struggled to live up to his full potential at the nou camp. The Brazilian forward is going through a tough time since suffering an injury at the start of the season. According to reports, Coutinho is expected to be released by Barcelona next season. No one doubts Coutinho's football ability. Therefore, Manchester City can easily sign 29 years old Coutinho at a low price.
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5) Joao Felix
Joao Felix caught the attention of the major European teams because of his outstanding performances for Portugal in age-level tournaments. Felix was eventually purchased by Atletico Madrid from Benfica in the summer of 2019. But the Portuguese star has yet to reach his full potential. However, he has enough talent to make any European squad. Joao Felix could be Aguero's long-term replacement at Man City.
Read: Potential Young Players Who Could Rule World Football Next Decade
4) Lautaro Martinez
Argentina's Lautaro Martinez has successfully established himself as one of the team's best players after joining Inter Milan in 2018. Having scored nearly 50 goals for Inter so far, Martinez is regarded as one of Europe's best-rising stars. Martinez will be wanted by a lot of teams next season. No doubt, he has been listed as a potential replacement for Sergio Aguero by Manchester City. The talented striker may be seen in Pep Guardiola's Man City squad next season if he's available at a reasonable price.
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3) Paulo Dybala
Paulo Dybala has been a household name in world football since joining Juventus in 2015. Since 2017, Dybala has worn the number 10 jersey for Juventus, one of Italy's best players. He has already won several domestic titles for this club. As a result, the 26-year-old Argentine star is ready to take on a new challenge and the Premier League may be an ideal place for him to showcase his talent. So it would not be a surprise if Man City include Sergio Aguero's compatriot Paulo Dybala as a replacement.
Read: Summer Window 2021: Five Potential Big Football Transfers
2) Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland is the most talked-about young footballer in the world right now. The tall Borussia Dortmund striker stunned everyone by reaching record 20 Champions League goals in the fewest matches (14). The 20-year-old Norwegian striker is in great form in this season's German Bundesliga. All of Europe's big clubs will fight to sign him next season. However, Sources have confirmed that a club has to spend at least 180 million euros to sign this talented striker, which is very expensive in the current COVID-19 situation. Though, Manchester City has no problem spending money. In addition, Haaland's father once played for Man City, so the citizens are quite hopeful to bring him to the Etihad stadium.
1) Harry Kane
Tottenham Hotspur and England captain Harry Kane is Manchester City's first choice player to replace Sergio Aguero. Kane will turn 28 in July, but he has yet to win a trophy in his professional career. He has hinted that he may switch club next season in order to win silverware. In the Premier League, Harry Kane has already scored 160 goals. To break Alan Shearer's 260-goal record, he'd have to play for a big English club for at least another five years. In that case, Man City would be the best choice for him.
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Bottom Line
The Argentine forward displayed his true class by scoring two goals and providing one assist in his debut match against Swansea City in 2011. Since then he has scored 256 goals for Manchester City, which is a club record. So far, Sergio Aguero has won four Premier Leagues, one FA Cup, five EFL Cups, and three Community Shields for Man City. Aguero has the most goals (181) by a foreign player in the Premier League, as well as the most hat-tricks (12) in the league history. Manchester City would have a tough time finding a suitable replacement for such a player. However, the above-mentioned players have the talents and are the hot favorites to replace Sergio Aguero at Man City.
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3 years ago