Lionel Messi is not in top form. Nevertheless, the exceptional talent is expected to help world champions Argentina reach the final of the Copa America against Canada.
Argentina’s soccer superstar Lionel Messi is not letting a leg injury stop him. The 37-year-old is set to play in the semi-final of the Copa América against Canada on Wednesday night (2:00 a.m. CEST) despite recurring complaints, said coach Lionel Scaloni before the match at MetLife Stadium in the US state of New Jersey. “Leo is fine. He will play,” stressed Scaloni.
He will also speak to Messi again shortly before the match and get his honest opinion. “If he says ‘I’m not feeling well’, then he will play the last 30 minutes. If he is available, he will play,” said Scaloni. Messi has scored 13 Copa America goals in his career, but has yet to score in this year’s edition.
Disappointment after missed penalty
At the start of the finals, Argentina had already won 2-0 against Canada in the group phase, with Messi providing the assist for both goals. “In the last game, we didn’t play well enough against Messi,” said Canada’s coach Jesse Marsch. The former RB Leipzig coach is not only warned about the attacking star for this reason: “We all know that he is the best player to ever play this game.”
Messi had missed a penalty in the quarter-final against Ecuador. Despite this, the world champions won 4-2 on penalties in Houston. “I was pretty disappointed, but at the same time confident,” Messi said of the moments after his missed shot hit the crossbar. Messi had already complained of problems with his right leg during the group stage and sat out the last game before the knockout round.
Source: Stern
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