By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Football superstar Lionel Messi finally captured his first-ever international championship trophy as Argentina beat Brazil, 1-0, during the 2021 Copa America tournament.
It was one of the most emotional moments in Messi’s career as his teammates flocked and embraced him after the final whistle was blown.
All the blood, sweat, and tears the Argentinian football team shed paid off after taking down Neymar Jr. and the mighty Brazilian team for 90 grueling minutes.
Brazil was on the attack early as they continued to put on the pressure against the defensive line of the Argentinian team.
20 minutes after tip-off, Richarlison de Andrade found an opening and struck a powerful goal attempt but was deflected by Emi Martinez to save Argentina once again.
However, two minutes after the Richarlison attempt, Rodrigo de Paul of Argentina fired a long assist pass to an anticipating Angel Di Maria who cashed in the first goal of the match and the lead for Argentina.
In the 52nd minute mark of the championship match, Brazil had the chance to equalize after a Richarlison conversion but he was called for an offside and no point was rewarded to them.
Brazil would continue to get aggressive and search for their first goal but Argentina’s defense kept them in the game especially Martinez’s saves in the last 30 minutes of the match.
This is Argentina’s first major title in 28 years and Messi’s first-ever international crown since joining the national squad.
