SAO PAULO — A "considerable number" of guests specially invited to watch the Copa America final between Brazil and Argentina have been faking false COVID-19 tests to ensure their entry, organisers the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said on Saturday.
The match between the two arch rivals is due to kick off on Saturday night at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Comunicado CONMEBOL
Entre todo el humo y el magnetismo que producen Lionel Messi y Neymar, una de las grandes figuras que emerge de la Copa América 2021 es el colombiano Luis Díaz. El delantero de origen wayuu demostró un ritmo endemoniado, magia incombustible y terminó marcando cuatro goles durante el torneo: uno a Brasil, uno a Argentina y dos a Perú. Estos últimos le valieron a Colombia el tercer lugar de la competencia y un premio para su federación de cuatro millones de dólares.
RIO DE JANEIRO — Europe might be waiting for England against Italy in Sunday's Euro 2020 showpiece, but there is an even bigger match to look forward to in South America as an older rivalry between two more successful teams kicks off in Saturday's Copa América final.
Brazil against Argentina is a true clasico. The teams first met in 1914 and in the years since have established themselves as two of the most storied sides in world soccer. Together they have won seven World Cups.
En medio de una reunión del Mercosur, el polémico presidente de Brasil, Jair Bolsonaro, le dijo a su similar de Argentina, Alberto Fernández, cuál era su pronóstico para la final de la Copa América, la cual enfrenta a ambos países. Bolsonaro usó el tema como una forma de desactivar las tensiones en una áspera jornada entre los principales líderes sudamericanos.
Tuesday’s Copa América semifinal between Argentina and Colombia was the Lionel Messi show for 90 minutes. But when the game went to a penalty shootout, the spotlight shifted to Argentina’s goalkeeper, Emi Martínez.
The Aston Villa keeper chirped the Colombian players to no end and saved three penalty kicks. Some absolute legend has now provided us inferior English-only speakers with an Emi Martinez trash talk translated video.
Muchas veces se le ha criticado a Lionel Messi una supuesta falta de carácter a la hora de liderar a la selección de Argentina. La idea se ha repetido por años y la ausencia de títulos de la Albiceleste la ha ido perpetuando.
Argentina se ha clasificado a la final de la Copa América, luego de empatar 1-1 en los 90 minutos y vencer a Colombia en una tanda de penales que ha sido inusual e histórica. Emiliano Martinez, arquero de la Albiceleste, se convirtió en héroe después de contener tres lanzamientos desde los doce pasos. Sin embargo, lo más singular de esto no fueron las atajadas, sino el cómo se dieron.
When Lionel Messi announced his international retirement after missing in the penalty shootout defeat to Chile at the 2016 Copa América Final, he disappeared into the New Jersey night with the crushing final words: “For me, the national team is over. I’ve done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion. It’s been four finals, I tried. It was the thing I wanted the most, but I couldn’t get it, so I think it’s over.”
It wasn’t.
RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil forward Neymar said he hopes Argentina will be their opponents in the Copa América final and has no doubts that the hosts would come out on top against their fierce rivals.
Brazil beat Peru 1-0 in Monday's semifinal in Rio de Janeiro thanks to a 35th minute goal from Lucas Paquetá to book their spot in Saturday’s decider at the Maracanã stadium.
The second semifinal between Argentina and Colombia is on Tuesday.
There’s something enthrallingly stagelike about these Copa América knockout round matches behind closed doors. If Euro 2020 is acting as a celebration of the world moving forward with vaccinations, the Copa can be seen as a reminder of the pandemic’s enforced isolation mixed with unhinged personal tendencies.