(Photo credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)
The Copa America 2024 match between Argentina and Chile on Tuesday will be one for the ages.
When Argentinian legend Lionel Messi takes the field in East Rutherford, N.J., for the second Group A match, he will be playing for the first time as a 37-year-old, having celebrated his birthday Monday.
But he will not be the oldest one in the match. That honor belongs to Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who on Friday vs. Peru became the oldest player to appear in a Copa America match at 41 years and 69 days.
Bravo showed he’s not slowing down, making four saves in the 0-0 draw against Peru.
But he will face an Argentina team on a different level.
The defending Copa America 2021 and 2022 World Cup champions were methodical in their opening match against Canada and scored twice in the second half to win 2-0.
While the win for the world’s No. 1 team was expected over the No. 48 Canadians, Messi said it was a relief, referencing the opening matches in past two major tournaments under coach Lionel Scaloni.
Argentina drew with Chile in Copa America 2021 and lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in the World Cup. Obviously, the Argentinians rebounded nicely.
“It gives you calmness because you suffer a lot when you start with a loss,” Messi said of the win over Canada. “We had not experienced (a win to start the tournament) before under Scaloni.”
That could spell trouble for Chile, which could not capitalize on a couple of scoring opportunities by Alexis Sanchez, the country’s all-time leader in goals and appearances.
“I had two chances and this is the Copa America and you have to make them,” Sanchez said.
The Chileans are in transition with Argentinian Ricardo Gareca named coach in January. He coached Peru in the 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021 Copa Americas with a runner-up and a third-place finish.
That has caught Messi’s attention.
“We have to play against a very competitive national team that with the arrival of Gareca has gained more,” he said.
–Field Level Media
