However, Argentina will begin the game without their superstar and playmaker Lionel Messi who is officially listed as a sub for Monday’s match against Chile.
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A championship with Argentina’s senior team has eluded the 28-year-old Messi throughout his decorated career.
Soon he was on a flight back to Spain, appearing at his trial for alleged tax fraud.
The two sides also met in March in a World Cup qualifier in Chile that Argentina won 2-1, and they now come together once more in Santa Clara, California, as their 2016 Copa America campaigns get underway.
Lionel Messi says he wants to end Argentina’s 23-year wait for a major title by winning the Copa America and has reassured supporters about his injury. Less than two minutes into the game, he found Nicolas Gaitan, who was replacing Messi, for a header that went off the top of the crossbar.
Sanchez drew a save from Romero in a bright Chilean start to the second half but it was Argentina who opened the scoring on 51 minutes.
“I hope we have good news because it is our captain, he’s an important player for us”, Bacca said.
Di Maria said he couldn’t not play.
“I don’t play”, he said, “my grandma was going to get mad”.
Of course, the heavy kick he received in a friendly against Honduras 10 days ago did most of the damage, but the world’s best player could be forgiven for buckling under the weight of expectation right now.
‘We’re always a better team when Messi is in the team. Chile tried to break down Argentina in the minutes following the goal but sloppy possession cost them the chance to create.
The two teams from Group D, along with Panama and Bolivia, are expected by a lot of fans to come out of the group stages and go deep into the knockout rounds. Argentina fell in both of those finals, on both occasions failing to score in 120 minutes of play.
An emotional Di Maria dedicated Argentina’s victory to his grandmother who tragically passed away just hours night before the match.
Said coach Tata Martino at Sunday morning’s press conference at Levi’s Stadium: “I’ll listen to the doctor, then I’ll talk to Leo to know if he still feels pain”. Chile have lost four of their last five games, and Venezuela are the only team they have beaten since the turn of the year.
These both teams have faced each other for 2 times and both the time Panama has the upper hand and thus won all the 2 games. “Messi’s probably more unsafe than any other soccer player”.
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Chile defender Gonzalo Jara played in his first Copa match since sticking his finger into the backside of Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani in the 2015 Copa quarterfinals that earned Jara a three-game suspension. They did grab a consolation goal with the final kick of the match, but it was too little too late.
