ATLANTA –
Lionel Messi’s passing brilliance got Argentina off to a winning start in the defence of its Copa America title, overcoming Canada and a poor playing surface at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Messi’s through ball led to Julián Álvarez’s 49th-minute goal and the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner assisted on Lautaro Martínez’s 88th-minute score in a 2-0 victory on Thursday night.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve done this,” Messi said through a translator, “but we had patience to retain possession of the ball and it was hard to find the good open spaces.”
- Download the CTV News App for breaking news alerts and video on all the top stories
- Canada Soccer releases statement after racist comments directed at player
Argentina is seeking its third straight major title after winning the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup. Held scoreless in the first half, Argentina outshot Canada 12-3 in the second.
Albiceleste …