In one photo, Lionel Messi is surrounded by four Italian players, including Giorgio Chiellini. Kiellini pulled his jersey to stop Messi. Many such pictures have been made throughout the match. The winner of most of them is Lionel Messi.
Messi was repeatedly going out through the strict security guards of Italy. He broke through the Italian defense three times in 15 to 25 minutes. But he didn't get a goal or score a goal with someone else. Messi finally succeeded in the 26th minute. The defender gave Lautaro Martinez a pass from the left edge of the Italian penalty box. He put Argentina ahead with a light touch of his right foot.
Lautaro Martinez's superb pass in the 44th minute gave Argentina a 2-0 lead through Anhel Di Maria. This goal is to say another thing unspoken - this Argentina is not dependent on Messi alone, this Argentina of Lionel Scaloni really plays as a team!
Argentina, who started the second half with a 2-0 lead, seemed to want to put more pressure on Italy. Argentina, who failed to reach the World Cup qualifiers for the second time in a row, wanted Argentina to blow them away by ignoring their intention to turn around in the match. From the beginning of the second half, Italy wanted to destroy one attack after another.
Argentina may also want to prove that Latin American football is still ahead of Europe. The match, called 'La Finalisima', is usually between the best team in Latin America and the best team in Europe. Europe has won the competition twice before, and Latin America once again. France won the first La Finalisimma in 1975. Argentina in the second in 1993.
Then there is La Finalisima, where the last winner of Copa America is Argentina. Let's put aside the history of La Finalisima and come back to today's match. From the start of the second half, Scaloni's Argentina seemed to have stormed the Italian defense.
Argentina created three goal chances in the 49th to 81st minute. In the 49th and 59th minutes, Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saved two great shots of Di Maria's left foot with great efficiency. In the 61st minute, another extraordinary curved shot from The Maria was blocked by the Italian goalkeeper. Both of the three chances were created from Messi's extraordinary dribbling.
Even then, Messi-Di Maria-Martinez's panic spread in the defense of Italy. Never forgetting themselves, never again getting a goal due to Donnarumma's extraordinary save. However, in the fourth minute of added time, Paolo DiBalla, a substitute from Messi's pass, scored a goal to give Argentina a 3-0 victory over Latin America and Europe in La Finalisima.