Argentina kicked off their Copa América title defence with a 2-0 win over debutants Canada on Thursday night.
Canada proved they could hold their own against elite opponents, but a mighty Argentina side were too much over 90 minutes.
The World Cup winners dominated the first half and had multiple chances to take the lead but were forced to work for the eventual breakthrough.
Angel Di Maria had a chance on a breakaway within seven minutes, but he couldn’t beat rushing goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau before Alexis Mac Allister’s header was also saved. The Canadians almost grabbed a sneaky lead at half-time but Stephen Eustaquio’s header was saved by Emi Martinez from point-blank range.
Coming into the second half, Argentina finally cracked resilient Canada. Mac Allister was through in the box and sacrificed his body as Crepeau took him out. The ball then fell to Julian Alvarez and the Manchester City man scored his first Copa América goal from a tight angle.
Canada, however, eventually found their footing again. Substitute Jacob Shaffelburg almost combined with Cyle Larin, Liam Millar and Jonathan David but all their efforts fell short.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi – who had a quiet game up until the hour mark – looked to add a second but struggled to find his magical touch. Instead, he assisted substitute Lautaro Martinez, who sealed the game in the dying moments to earn all three points.
