ARGETINA kicked off its title retention bid with a 2-0 victory over Canada in the 2024 Copa America on Thursday night (Friday in the Philippines) at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez connected a goal each in the second half as the Argentineans overcame a sloppy first half to take an early lead in their group stage.
Álvarez gave the defending champions a 1-0 lead in the 49th minute as he converted a right-footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom right corner.
Argentina’s lead was doubled in the 88th minute as Martinez drilled a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the center of the goal from a through ball by Lionel Messi.
Messi, for his part, had several great opportunities to knock down his first conversion of the tournament but was thwarted by Canada’s goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.
Argentina will return to action on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning in Manila) against Chile at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, USA.
Meanwhile, in Euro 2024, Spain secured a spot in the round-of-16 after a 1-0 escape over reigning champions Italy at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
A 55th-minute own goal by Italy’s Riccardo Calafiori served as the marginal point for the three-time Euro champions, Spain, as they improved to 2-0 in Group B.
“Essentially, we haven’t achieved anything yet,” Spain head coach Luis De la Fuente said. “Football can be very cruel. We have to be cautious, humble, and show respect.”
In other results, England and Denmark settled for a 1-1 draw in Group C, with the former having four points on one win and a draw and the latter with two points on two draws.
Harry Kane drew first blood for England with his close-range connection in the 17th minute, but Denmark retaliated just before the halftime break courtesy of Morten Hjulmand’s long-range hit.
Luka Jovic, on the other hand, scored in stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw for Serbia against Slovenia. The latter is in third place in Group C with two points, while Serbia is in fourth with one point./PN
