Associated Press
Houston, June 22: Lionel Messi was too much for the United States to contain. The five-time ‘World Player of the Year’ set up Ezequiel Lavezzi’s opening goal in the third minute, then scored on a free-kick to break Argentina’s career scoring record and assisted on the final goal in a 4-0 rout of the US here Tuesday night that put the La Albiceleste into the Copa America final.
It gives Argentina the chance to break the 23-year major trophy jinx. The last time, they had won the Copa America was in 1993 and the World Cup victory came seven years earlier.
“This was the goal when we got here, to play another final and we made it,” Messi said after the match. “We’ve been spectacular from day one and we deserved this.”
After Messi doubled the lead in the 32nd minute with his
55th international goal, his tournament-leading fifth, Gonzalo Higuain quickly ended US comeback hopes when he put the rebound of his initial shot past goalkeeper Brad Guzan in the 50th minute. He added another to his tally in the 86th after Messi had done the spadework.
The US had worked very hard to make it to the semifinals. But top-ranked Argentina and Messi, who turns 29 Friday and is at the top of his game, outclassed the hosts from the opening whistle and stunned the sellout crowd of 70,858 at NRG Stadium.
US manager Jurgen Klinsmann inserted midfielders Kyle Beckerman and Graham Zusi into his line-up along with forward Chris Wondolowski because of suspensions to midfielders Jermaine Jones and Alejandro Bedoya, and forward Bobby Wood. But nothing helped.
Argentina went ahead when Lavezzi played a short corner kick to Ever Banega, who passed back to Lavezzi sprinting from the corner diagonally. Lavezzi beat Fabian Johnson to the ball and poked it to Messi about 25 yards out, in the centre of the field.
As the US defence started to come out, Messi one-timed a flick with his left foot over the back line to Lavezzi, who got to the ball ahead of Kyle Beckerman about seven yards from the goal. He headed the ball over Guzan, who had started to come off his line.
Messi doubled the lead after Beckerman slipped and Chris Wondolowski took down Messi, earning a yellow card. Messi placed the ball about 26 yards out, a few yards closer to the goal than the foul. After the US set up their wall, Messi bent a beautiful curving drive that went just over Guzan’s outstretched left palm and into the upper corner.
