Chile to meet Argentina in Copa America final, USMNT gets Colombia rematch

Chilean substitute Francisco Silva placed his penalty low and to the right of Sergio Romero to score the decider after Messi and Lucas Biglia missed for Argentina and Arturo Vidal missed for Chile.

Messi had become Argentina’s all-time record goalscorer earlier in the tournament but final heartache, with Chile prevailing 4-2 on penalties following a goalless 120 minutes, was followed by his post-match announcement.

Messi’s legacy with Argentina will be debated. The last time Messi played at the MetLife stadium was also in June and also against a South American side.

“We should be thinking about that”, said Messi.

Five-times World Player of the Year Messi, who surpassed Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina’s top scorer in the semi-final against the United States, was heavily marked and had few chances to show his brilliance.

“I know what it means to value certain numbers and Messi’s numbers are unmatched, and I don’t think they will ever be matched because it’s impossible for a player to find the things that Messi finds”.

Bravo’s play will again be the key here, especially with Messi leading a spirited Argentina squad that looks unbeatable right now.

Pizzi said comparisons with Maradona were unfair.

“This does not change our association with him”, a company spokesperson said. “Now I will not try more and there will be no going back”.

“In my opinion, he is the best player in the world and in history”, Bravo told Marca.

In a letter he wrote in Sports Illustrated, Messi responded to the criticism.

Argentina did beat Chile 2-1 in their opening group match but Juan Antonio Pizzi’s side have improved since and hammered Mexico 7-0 in the quarterfinals. “The way he’s been in Brazil, the way he was previous year and the way he is once more now”.

But Argentina’s loss continues to be Barcelona’s gain and Sport continued: “He is abandoning the Argentina team to concentrate on what really makes him happy which is winning trophies with Barcelona”.

He then returned to Spain to give evidence at his trial for tax fraud before jetting off to the United States to join up with his Argentina team-mates. After both sides failed to score goal in regulation time and extra time, Chile and Argentina were again taken to penalties to decide the victor. Argentina were knocked out in the quarter-finals by hosts Germany after a penalty shootout.