2024-07-11 03:05:01
B/R Football
Lionel Messi and Argentina are one win away from winning the country’s second straight Copa América title.
Messi and Co. defeated Canada on Tuesday night at MetLife Stadium to advance to Sunday’s final in Miami.
Argentina awaits the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal played between Uruguay and Colombia.
A matchup with Uruguay would mark the first Copa América final matchup between the two nations since 1967. An Argentina-Colombia final would mark the first time the two squads played in the tournament title match.
Final: Argentina vs. Uruguay/Colombia winner (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, Fox)
Semifinal: Uruguay vs. Colombia (Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET, FS1)
Argentina should be favored in either matchup with Uruguay or Colombia.
Argentina currently holds the Copa América and World Cup titles and has been in three of the last four Copa América championship games.
Uruguay has not made it to the title match since 2011, while Colombia last played in the championship contest back in 2001.
Of course, both potential finalists could be tough foes for Argentina, especially if the likes of Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz play at their highest level.
However, Argentina’s defense has been near immaculate over the 2024 version of the Copa América, which featured Canada and five other North American nations on U.S. soil.
Ecuador was the only team to score on Argentina’s defense over its five-game run in the Copa. That tally came in the 92nd minute of their quarterfinal match, which Argentina won in penalties.
No other goals have been scored on the Argentine defense. Even chances have been hard to come by against that unit. Canada managed just two shots on goal on Tuesday night.
Colombia might be viewed as the bigger threat to Argentina in its current form. Los Cafeteros have the longest international men’s soccer winning streak and are coming off a 5-0 thumping of Panama.
Uruguay needed penalty kicks to get past Brazil, but before that game, it had a high-flying group stage in which it scored nine goals in a group with the United States, Bolivia and Panama.
Argentina would love to see a fast-paced, high-scoring game that somehow goes into extra time in Charlotte so that it has a fitness advantage as well over its championship game opponent.
Even if that does not happen, Argentina would have the edge with the best player in the world in Lionel Messi, a strong defense and one of the best shot stoppers in Emiliano Martinez as its advantages.
A win on Sunday may not come easy, but that’s typically the case in championship matches.
Prediction: Argentina over Colombia
