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RIO DE JANEIRO. — Lionel Messi ended his wait for a first major international football title as Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America final in Rio’s Maracana stadium on Saturday night.
Argentina sank their closest rivals Brazil in the Copa America final in Rio de Janiero to be crowned kings of South America.
Barcelona great Messi finally got his hands on a trophy while wearing the famous blue and white Argentina stripes.
Messi (34) has won everything possible in the club game during his stellar Barcelona career. But beating Brazil in their own back yard just months after national icon Diego Maradona died will undoubtedly go down as one of his career highlights.
The victory at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium ended Argentina’s 28-year wait for a major trophy, and also ended Brazil’s unbeaten home record that stretched back more than 2 500 days. Argentina had last tasted success at a major tournament in 1993 when the great Gabriel Batistuta’s brace gave them a 2-1 win over Mexico in the Copa final in Ecuador.
It was the first time in six editions playing at home that Brazil had failed to lift the trophy.
And while 34-year-old Messi’s odyssey has come to an end, Brazil’s Neymar, five years his junior, is still without a major title at international level having missed the Selecao’s win on home soil two years ago through injury.
Argentina edged a brutal and fractious affair thanks to Angel di Maria’s goal on 22 minutes.
Argentina hadn’t won a trophy in 28 years despite Messi’s best efforts.
They lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany in this same stadium and suffered back to back Copa America final defeats to Chile in 2015 and 2016.
The latter of those defeats proved so painful that Messi was almost sent into international retirement.
On Saturday night, Messi was named player of the tournament after scoring four goals and laying on five assists in what was his 10th tournament appearance for his country.
The striker sunk to his knees at the final whistle before being mobbed by his ecstatic team-mates. Speaking to reporters after the game a clearly emotional Messi attempted to comprehend the scale of his achievements.
“It’s crazy, the happiness the feeling is inexplicable. I knew that at some point it was going to happen,” he said. “The objective was clear and we were able to be champions. The happiness is immense. Many times I have dreamed of this. “I told Fideo (Di Maria) that today he was going to have his revenge and that’s how it was. I want to share this with those team-mates who were so close so many times and it was not given to them. This is also for them. —BBC Sport.
Online Reporter