(New York) A leg injury will not prevent Lionel Messi from playing for Argentina in the Copa America semifinal against Canada on Tuesday night.
Messi has been struggling with a right leg injury since a June 25 victory over Chile in the preliminary round. He missed his turn in the final preliminary match four days later, but played the entire quarter-final match against Ecuador last Thursday.
“Leo is fine. He will play tomorrow,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni insisted Monday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Messi, who is 37, has scored 13 career goals in the Copa America, four short of the record held by his compatriot Norberto Mendez and Brazilian Zizinho. However, Messi has yet to score since the start of the current edition.
“It’s an easy decision for me,” Scaloni said. “It’s a pretty honest decision. Just ask him how he feels. If he says ‘it’s not going well,’ then he’ll play the last 30 minutes. But when he’s available, he plays.”
Looking for a 16e Copa America title winner Argentina defeated Canada 2-0 on June 20 in the tournament opener. Messi set up second-half goals from Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.
“We didn’t do a good enough job against Messi in the last game. He was able to run freely at our goalkeeper a little too often,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch said.
Argentina outshot Canada 19-10, including 9-2 on-target. They held a 64-36 advantage in possession.
“It’s more of an advantage for us to have been able to play them than for them to have played against us,” Marsch said.
Both teams advanced to the quarterfinals via shootout victories. Canada, a guest team from North America, defeated Venezuela.
In the other semifinal, Uruguay will face Colombia on Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina. The final will be played on Sunday in Miami.
Argentina had four days of recovery, one more than Canada, but both teams played only 90 minutes. Extra time is played only in the final at this tournament.
Argentina are aiming for a third major title in a row, following their triumphs at the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup. They and Uruguay share the top spot with 15 Copa America titles.
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has won his last four international shootouts, stopping eight of 18 shots.
Canada was eliminated in the preliminary rounds in both of its World Cup appearances in 1986 and 2022. It won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000 and its predecessor tournament, the CONCACAF Championship, in 1985.
“We’re playing the best team in the world,” said Cyle Larin, who scored 29 goals for Canada. “We have speed and power. And I think we’re getting better as each day goes on.”
With contributions from Eric Nunez of the Associated Press in East Rutherford, New Jersey