One day after Neymar wowed fans with his performance in Brazil’s opening match of the 2021 Copa America, Lionel Messi one-upped him.
Messi scored a goal on a picture-perfect free-kick to put Argentina ahead of Chile in the opening match for a little while. Argentina couldn’t make it hold up, and the game ended up 1-1.
The Argentine legend can usually put the ball where he wants, and this time, he curled it into the top right corner past the outstretched arms of Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
Another look at that free kick from Messi 👀🔥
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 14, 2021
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Neymar, a previous colleague of Messi’s at FC Barcelona, was stunning in his match with his death, weaving runs and set-piece deliveries. He scored a goal on a penalty kick, and he likewise dished out another to Gabriel Barbosa as Brazil went out 3-0 winners versus Venezuela. Brazil is the safeguarding Copa America champions.
Messi is under a lot of pressure to lead Argentina to a nationwide team prize, and the 2021 Copa America is his newest effort. He’s been to the Copa America final three times with Argentina, losing to Brazil in 2007 and then dropping two consecutive finals to Chile on a penalty shot (2015 and 2016).
Copa America starts with a group phase that features all 10 South American countries divided into two groups. Argentina and Brazil, the two favorites to win the tournament, are kept in different groups to begin.