Canada’s Cinderella run at the Copa America came to an end Tuesday with a 2-0 semifinal loss to Argentina.
Julian Alvarez and world star Lionel Messi scored for Argentina, who are seeking a last-16 finish.e Copa America title and a third major title in a row. She won the Copa America in 2021 and the World Cup in 2022.
For its part, Canada, a guest country at the CONMEBOL tournament, is still without a victory in two participations in the World Cup, in 1986 and 2022. It won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000 and its predecessor, the CONCACAF Championship, in 1985.
In front of a crowd of 80,102 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Canada fell short of a miracle. It had beaten Venezuela in a shootout in the quarterfinals to earn a rematch against Argentina, which had beaten it 2-0 in the tournament’s opening round.
This time, Alvarez beat goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau between the legs in the 22nd minute.e minute of play, after receiving a pass between two Canadian backs.
Then Messi inherited a missed clearance from a Canadian player and beat Crépeau with a precise strike from the top of the penalty area in the 51st minute.e minute.
Canada had nine shots on Argentina’s net, but only two were on target.
In the final on Sunday in Miami, Argentina will face the winner of the duel between Colombia and Uruguay. These two countries meet on Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina.