Argentina had a smooth start in their Copa America opening match against Canada. Below are 5 highlights after the competition at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Messi’s 2 extremes

Lionel Messi is the focus of every match. Against Canada, Argentina’s superstar also had an outstanding match to show his world class.

But it cannot be said that Messi had an excellent day as usual. He played an important role in both of Argentina’s goals, with two delicate passes. However, the 36-year-old striker missed two good opportunities when facing goalkeeper Crepeau.

Messi is still very classy.

With his appearance against Canada, Messi also set a record. Statistics show that this is the 7th time Messi has played at Copa America and the 35th time he has played for Argentina in this playground. In history, no player has ever reached the 35-match mark like Messi.

Canada’s promise

In their first participation in Copa America, Canada did not perform poorly. They played with confidence against Argentina and entered the match well. Jonathan David almost equalized for Canada with a header that went over the crossbar. In the 70th minute, Canada gave Argentina fans a ‘heart аttаck’ when substitute Jacob Shaffelburg fell in the penalty area, but VAR did not give them a penalty.

Anyway, class is what Canada lacks. They need to be more accurate in decisive situations.

Candidate strength

Canada is not weak. Talented coach Jesse Marsch has many stars in his squad. However, they only made it difficult for Argentina in the first half. In the second half, the stage belonged to the defending champion. Argentina has shown superiority in all aspects, showing the strength of a championship candidate at this year’s Copa America.

Argentina deserves to be the number 1 candidate of Copa America 2024.

If Messi or Lautaro Martinez or Julián Álvarez had finished better, the score would not have stopped at 2 for La Albiceleste.

Clear difference

Argentina’s difference compared to the rest is that they have an all-star squad, and have played extremely well under Lionel Scaloni for a long time.

Against Canada, a famous аssаssin like Lautaro Martinez also had to be on the bench, and importantly, he shined when he came on as a substitute. Don’t forget that Argentina’s bench still has a series of good players such as Giovani Lo Celso, Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico, Exequiel Palacios, Alejandro Garnacho, Enzo Fernández. This is something that even Brazil cannot compare.

The fire test failed

In the Canadian squad, besides Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David is a very prominent nаme. David scored 26 goals in 46 appearances for the national team. After great performances with Lille, with 19 goals in Ligue 1 last season, the 24-year-old striker was sought after by Arsenal and Man United.

However, against Argentina, David did not play too impressively. He missed a big opportunity, couldn’t have a single shot on target after 30 touches of the ball, and lost the ball 8 times. The mark that David left was probably his enthusiasm, winning 5/7 duels.