Central & South America

Brazil secured passage to the 2019 Copa América Final in Rio de Janeiro with a 2-0 victory over Argentina on Tuesday, marking another low point in the calamitous international career of Lionel Messi.

To be fair to Messi and his compatriots, Brazil was the massive favorite in this one, and the squad features a defense that’s now gone 450 minutes without conceding a goal. In attack, the likes of Roberto Firmino, Gabriel Jesus and the ageless Dani Alves put on a show, mastering a La Albiceleste side that played its best game of the tournament.

The stage is set for the most eagerly anticipated match of the 2019 Copa América: It’s a semifinal showdown between eternal South American rivals Brazil and Argentina at the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte. 64,000 will be willing the home side to victory and the final, but standing in the Seleção’s way is that man Lionel Messi. 

According to SPORT, a Spanish daily based in Barcelona, Neymar has agreed on personal terms to return to the Camp Nou on a five-year deal that includes a massive pay cut to his current salary. The 27-year-old currently earns $41 million per year with PSG, but he’s willing to rejoin Barça for around $27 million.

France’s 2-1 extra time victory over Brazil in Le Havre may well have spelled the end of Marta’s glorious World Cup career. The six-time FIFA World Player of the Year extended her all-time World Cup goalscoring record to 17 with two penalties in the group stage, but for the second consecutive tournament, Brazil crashed out at the Round of 16.

Last night, a meeting between Uruguay — eighth-ranked in the world and perhaps the biggest threat to Brazil’s Copa América quest on home soil — and Ecuador was dominated by La Celeste. First half goals from Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani and Nicolás Lodeiro effectively decided the match, especially so since Ecuador was reduced to 10-men in the 24th minute following a José Quinteros red card.

The opening goal from Lodeiro in the sixth minute was excellent, featuring a pinpoint cross from Suárez and a three-touch masterpiece from the Seattle Sounders attacker.  

When Lionel Messi declared that Argentina “are not candidates like other times” and that this is a side “going through a process of change,” he wasn’t messing around. The only surprising thing about Argentina’s opening Copa América defeated to Colombia on Saturday night is that Messi himself spurned a glorious opportunity to put La Albiceleste ahead in the 66th minute.

Colombia took full advantage of that miss with Roger Martinez hitting a stunning game-winner in the 71st before Duvan Zapata added the insurance goal in the 86th. 

The warning signs are there for the USWNT ahead of tomorrow’s opener against Thailand: Yesterday, Italy shocked Australia to record its first Women’s World Cup win since 1999. Today, Argentina gathered its first-ever WWC point by playing to a 0-0 draw with 2015 finalist Japan.