Argentina beat Canada 2-0 to seal spot in Copa America final

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey: Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi scored as defending champions Argentina beat Canada 2-0 in New Jersey on Tuesday (Jul 9) to book their place in the Copa America final.

The 15-times Copa champions produced their best display of the tournament in front of a capacity crowd at the 82,500 MetLife Stadium and as in their 2022 World Cup triumph they look to be peaking at the perfect moment.

Jesse Marsch's Canada side had progressed by hitting teams with high-energy football straight out of the gate but after an early opening for left-winger Jacob Shaffelburg, who fired wide after cutting in from the flank, the South Americans took control and never gave it up.

Alvarez ghosted in between two defenders to open the scoring with a tidy finish in the 22nd minute.

Messi had chances throughout the match and doubled the lead in the 51st minute when he stuck out a boot to divert Enzo Fernandez's shot from the edge of the area past Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.

The two-goal cushion established, Argentina were content to sit back and preserve their energy and invite the Canadians to take them on.

It was not until the final minutes though that Canada were able to trouble Emiliano Martinez with substitute Tani Oluwaseyi forcing the keeper into action after some sloppy defending.

But it was a comfortable victory for Scaloni's men and one which leaves them one win away from a record 16th Copa America triumph.

"The truth is that it's crazy what this group has done, what the Argentina national team has been doing," Messi told TyC Sports after his first goal of the tournament.

"It's not easy for us to be in a final again, for us to compete again to be champions. I'm living it like I lived it in the last Copa America, in