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Argentina secured a narrow 1-0 win against Brazil as Lionel Messi finally lifted a long awaited international trophy by winning the Copa America 2021 title.
Although all eyes were on Lionel Messi and Neymar, it was Angel Di Maria who stole all the headlines as he scored a wonderful chipped goal to give Argentina the lead.
Brazil pushed and pushed with Neymar at the forefront of all attacks, but the Argentina defense held on resolutely to finally give Lionel Messi his moment of glory on the international stage.
Although Lionel Messi was influential, the likes of Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria, and Emiliano Martinez all stepped up at various points in the match and tournament to make Argentina's triumph a true team effort.
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The Brazil vs Argentina superclasico threatened to boil over on many occasions with Lionel Messi and Neymar especially being the victims of some uncompromising challenges from the defenders.
Argentina put in a massive defensive performance on the night to give Lionel Messi his first international trophy. Early in the second half Brazil cranked up the pressure and looked to have equalized in the 52nd minute. But the goal was ruled out for offside.
With both Brazil and Argentina making a lot of substitutes in the second half, the game became increasingly fraught with Neymar leading the charge for the Brazilians. However, Emi Martinez was equal to the task whenever called upon and helped La Albiceleste maintain a clean sheet.
Lionel Messi had an excellent chance in the 87th minute to grab a goal and seal the win for Argentina. The legendary 'number 10' however, inexplicably lost his footing, allowing Ederson to gather the ball and thwart the danger.
The miss did not prove to be costly, as Argentina held on in the final stages to secure a massive win and finally win an international trophy after losing 7 finals.
The Argentina team also won a lot of individual awards. Emiliano Martinez deservingly won the goalkeeper of the tournament award, while Lionel Messi beat his close friend Neymar to win both the Copa America 2021 Top scorer award and the Copa America 2021 Player of the Tournament award.
The Copa America 2021 tournament initially ran into a lot of logistical issues with the venue changing from Argentina to Brazil and there were massive doubts about the tournament being conducted in a safe manner. However, football in the tournament was exhilarating and definitely left fans with a lot of memories to savor.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the best tweets from:
Copa America 2021 Final: Argentina 1-0 Brazil
The long wait for an international trophy is finally over for Lionel Messi
