Copa America: Lionel Messi & Alphonso Davies swap shirts after Argentina's 2-0 victory over Canada

In the Copa America 2024 opener, Argentina secured a strong 2-0 victory over Canada at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Julian Alvarez opened the scoring in the 49th minute, followed by a goal from Lautaro Martinez in the 88th minute. Argentina demonstrated dominance with 19 shots and 65% possession, while Canada managed 10 shots with 35% possession. The win puts Argentina at the top of Group A, setting a positive tone for their campaign in the tournament.

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Lionel Messi and Alphonso Davies swapped shirts after Argentina beat Canada in the Copa America 2024 opener

Moments after the Argentina vs Canada game ended, Lionel Messi and Canadian star Alphonso Davies exchanged shirts. Davies had a night to remember, having always said how much he admires the Argentine player. The two gifted players' mutual respect and affection were shown by the gesture of exchanging shirts.

Argentina's Copa America title defence began with a 2-0 win over Canada, thanks to Lionel Messi's precise through ball that helped in set up Julián Álvarez's goal in the 49th minute and then a proper assist to Lautaro Martínez's goal in the 88th minute. 

Even though Lionel Messi gave an outstanding performance against Canada, he was let down in the 64th minute as he failed to score one of his worst efforts ever after receiving a throw ball from custodian Emiliano Martinez. Messi made two unsuccessful attempts to score into an empty net while sprinting towards the goal. The Argentine captain was under more pressure from the Canadian defence, which led to an unanticipated loss of opportunity. Another failure for Messi came in the 78th minute when he had a one-on-one opportunity with the custodian but was unable to take advantage of it, leaving him broken on the ground.

Argentina are preparing for their third major championship in a row, having won the World Cup in 2022 and the Copa America in 2021.

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Messi's 35th appearance in the South American tournament, which was held in the United States for the second time, broke the Copa America record held by Chile's Sergio Livingstone, who competed from 1941 to 1953. With his 18th assist, Messi also set a new record for the tournament.

Messi played a significant part in the opening goal, and he will turn 37 on Monday. He tossed one in and then found Alexis MacAllister with a pass that went through the defence. After passing to Álvarez, the midfielder crashed into goalie Maxime Crépeau about eight yards from the goal. It was Álvarez's ninth goal in thirty-two international games.

Argentina will now be seen in action against Chile on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Canada will now play Peru on Wednesday too.