Tag: Copa america 2021

Season of Football

As it comes to the Copa America, South American championship of Nations that is one of the prestigious tournament in the sport and also considered one of the oldest international football tournament. the tournament consist of 10 national team- Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

The Copa America ended with a long-overdue glory for Lionel Messi, but it was not an easy one but the success led to victory not by individual but due to many reasons.

“I have been lucky enough to win everything at club level and individual level and it would be lovely to win something with the national side” the 34 year old said on the eve’s of this year Copa America. “That’s my dream”.

COPA AMERICA 11-07-2021 WINNER Argentina against Brazil

all those hard work and training finally paid off for the country, the unmeasurable skills set by the players and the strategy that the coach led to their victory have also helped the team. The heavy pressure put on by Brazilians players on Messi- that he’s never “done it” for Argentina has now silenced been silenced. And its not the enduring image shown in the picture of him holding the victory trophy but, the level of performance and dedication to achieve victory performance throughout the game. Messi is not known only for his skills but his amalgamation of teamwork and dedication have trained him to achieve victory until the end.

Messi who won the victory trophy, but was not titled man of the match. an honour probably belong to Rodrigo De Paul , with Demaria also in the running, but Messi was undoubtedly player of the tournament.

Brazilian accumulate all the energy against the Argentinian player Messi. they put on the lots of pressure in the second half of the match, but even with their five strikers on the forward filed, they could not equalized against the Argentinian defenders, protected by the outstanding defenders Rodrigo De Paul.

“First we have to congratulate our opponents especially for the first half when they neutralized us,” said Brazilian defender Thiago Silva

Copa America Final : Argentina wins major International trophy after 19 years

Argentina’s  victory was sealed courtesy a goal by Angel Di Maria in the 22nd minute of the match. The PSG forward beat the off side trap to receive a long floater from the mid-field on the right flank and then chipped the ball into the net to perfection over the Brazilian goal-keeper Ederson.

Lionel Messi and the whole of Argentina can breathe a sigh of relief as their long wait for a major football trophy is over. La Albiceleste, the Argentine national football team, on Sunday beat arch rivals Brazil by a solitary goal in the final of Copa America 2021 to win the continental title for the first time since 1993.
The victory was sealed courtesy a goal by Angel Di Maria in the 22nd minute of the match. The PSG forward beat the off side trap to receive a long floater from the mid-field on the right flank from De Paul and then chipped the ball into the net over the Brazilian goal-keeper Ederson. From that moment onwards, Brazil kept chasing the match but the much needed equaliser never came. It was a match which was tipped to be a battle between Brazil’s Neymar and Argentina’s Mess but both men failed to have a major impact on the game. Messi showed glimpses of brilliance and came very close to scoring in the later stages of the second half, but failed to get on to the score sheet.
Neymar  tried his best but he was constantly fouled and tackled by the Argentine midfielders and defenders. It was a tough physical battle in the midfield.
Brazil tried hard to secure the equaliser in the second half and Richarlison put the ball in the back of the net, but it was ruled out as the Everton star was caught off side.
Roberto Firmino’s introduction in the second half gave depth to Brazil’s attack and they created a lot of chances. Gabi had a couple of shots saved as Argentine goal-keeper Martinez was in fine form.
Messi and De Paul, both, had a chance to seal the match late in the second half but Brazil survived and kept fighting.
The final whistle saw Messi fall down on his knees with tears in his eyes as his teammates rushed to him to celebrate a much awaited win.
The match started with an intense battle in the mid-field with both teams looking to dominate possession. Brazil played a high line and looked to press from the start while Argentina were looking counter attack with the speed of Angel Di Maria and Lionel Messi.
The win gave Argentina their 15th Copa America title and they are now joint record holders along with Uruguay for the most number of titles won.
Lionel Messi had lost three Copa America finals before this along with the 2014 FIFA World Cup final and the victory finally gives the talismanic footballer his first major trophy with the senior team.
Messi, arguably the best footballer of this generation alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, now has a continental title under his belt just like the Portuguese, who had lifted the Euro 2016 trophy.
 

Argentina Vs Brazil : Just a game away from the silverware

Argentina won its semifinal against Colombia 3-2 on penalties after three saves by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Regular time ended 1-1 at the Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia on Tuesday

It will be Lionel Messi’s Argentina against Neymar’s Brazil in the Copa America final on Saturday at the historic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Argentina won its semifinal against Colombia 3-2 on penalties after three saves by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Regular time ended 1-1 at the Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia on Tuesday.

Argentina hasn’t captured a major title since 1993 when it won Copa America. On that occasion, the team eliminated Colombia on penalties 6-5 in the semifinal after a goalless draw.

Brazil beat Peru 1-0 on Monday to advance to the final. The Selecao has never lost a Copa America final at home and has won five out of six matches so far.

It took Argentina only seven minutes to open the scoring. Rodrigo de Paul found Messi in the penalty box with a through pass. The star earned his fifth assist in the tournament with a pass to Lautaro Martinez, who put the ball in the right corner past Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina.

A more aggressive Colombia, led by Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, hit the bar and the post in the second half before it leveled in the 61st minute with Luis Diaz, who received the ball on the left of Argentina’s box shot almost with no angle to beat Martinez.

Argentina reacted after 67 minutes when Angel di Maria came into the match, replacing Nico Gonzalez. The winger created several opportunities including one in the 80th minute that ended with Davinson Sanchez saving a finish by Lautaro Martinez on the goal line.

The last big opportunity in regular time came with Messi hitting Ospina’s right post in 81st minute from short range.
Martinez saved the shots taken by Sanchez, Yerry Mina and Edwin Cardona in the shootout. Messi converted his opportunity from the spot and was one of the most joyous players in the celebrations. He seeks his first major title with Argentina against favorites Brazil.

Colombia will play on Friday in the third-place playoff against Peru.

When – 11 th July 2021, Sunday

Where to watch – Sony Liv in India

Timings – 5:30 IST

Venue – Marcana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

All you need to know about Copa America 2021

Copa America 2021 is all set to begin on Monday early morning IST where Brazil and Venezuela are scheduled to kick off at Mane Garrincha stadium in Brazil.

Copa America 2020 was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic and recently, Brazil got the nod to host the Copa America 2021. But Brazil have reported approximately more than 17.3 million cases of COVID-19 which includes at least 486,000 deaths, the second-highest number in the world.

Why Brazil is hosting Copa America 2021?

Earlier Colombia and Argentina were scheduled to host Copa America 2020 which got postponed due to Corona virus pandemic.  Argentina was not given the nod this year due to increased rising cases of COVID-19 in the country while Colombia was rejected to host the tournament following the protests against President Ivan Duque.

What is up with the national side?

It seems Brazil as a team is not happy with the decision of Copa America being played in their country. However, they hesitantly agreed to participate in the tournament despite concerns over the late decision to host the tournament in their home country.

Brazilian players on social media  published a message saying they are “unsatisfied” with South American football’s governing body, CONMEBOL, which decided to move the tournament to Brazil. They didn’t wanted this tournament to become a result of political debate although.

How is the public responding to the tournament ?

A poll was set based on 1000 interviews which was conducted between June 7 to June 10. The poll showed nearly two-third of Brazilian population opposed the country hosting the event amidst rising cases of COVID-19 in Brazil.

How many players tested COVID-19 positive ?

Eight Venezuelans and three Bolivian players has been tested positive even before the tournament  started. Venezuela which is playing their first match on Sunday has called for 15 other players in their squad to enhance their bench strength. Along with those eight players, three of their coaching staff are also infected with COVID-19 virus.

Bolivia is playing their first match against Paraguay on Monday.

In response to the rising cases, South American soccer body CONMEBOL issued a statement which stated “the matches will be played as scheduled”.

How many teams are participating in Copa America 2021?

Earlier, the tournament was scheduled to play with 12 nations with Qatar and Australia coming in as guest nations. However, both of the teams pulled off from the tournament due to their prior commitments in the World Cup qualifier.

As of now, only 10 teams are participating in the tournament.

Group A: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Group B: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay

What is the tournament format?

After completion of the round matches, the top four teams of each group will qualify for the quarter finals.

Dates to remember

Copa America 2021 is starting from June 14 as early as 2:30 am IST. The knockout phase will be starting from July 3 and the finals will be played on 11th of July.

Where you can watch Copa America 2021?

Copa America 2021 will be telecast live on Sony TEN 2, Sony TEN 2 HD, Sony SIX and Sony SIX HD TV channels in India. Live streaming of Copa America 2021 in India will be available on SonyLIV and Jio TV respectively.