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Messi Inspired Argentina Victory Against Canada To Begin Copa América Defense

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Messi Inspired Argentina Victory Against Canada To Begin Copa América Defense—-Lionel Messi’s through ball to Mac Allister led to  Julián Álvarez’s goal in the 49th minute, then he assisted on Lautaro Martínez’s goal in the 88th as Argentina began the defense of its Copa América title with a 2-0 victory over Canada on Thursday night in Atlanta.

Argentina is seeking its third straight major title after winning the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 World Cup and they got things underway at a sold out Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

With South America’s championship moved to the United States for the second time, Messi set a Copa América record by playing in his 35th match, one more than Chile’s Sergio Livingstone from 1941 to 1953. Messi extended his own record with his 18th assist.

Messi, who turns 37 on Monday, created the first goal when he headed a pass through the defense for  Alexis Mac Allister. The midfielder side-footed to Álvarez while crashing into onrushing goalkeeper  Maxime Crépeau about 8 yards out. Álvarez had a virtually empty net and kicked the ball in over a sliding defender for his eighth goal in 32 international appearances.

Messi extended his Copa América record when he ran through the center of the midfield and rolled a pass to Martínez, who got his 25th international goal.

Messi’s best scoring chance was in the 65th minute, when Crépeau made a diving stop and Messi’s attempt off the rebound was blocked by the head of defender Derek Cornelius. Messi put a chip wide after he came in alone on Crépeau in the 79th.

The Inter Miami star was shaken up by a sliding tackle from defender  Moïse Bombito in the 82nd minute, but remained in the game.

Argentina plays Chile on Tuesday at East Rutherford, New Jersey, then closes the first round against Peru on June 29 at Miami Gardens, Florida. Canada faces Peru on Tuesday at Kansas City, Kansas, and finishes the group stage against Chile on June 29 at Orlando, Florida.

Fourteen U.S. stadiums are hosting the tournament, which runs through June 14 and ends at Miami Gardens. Six nations from Concacaf were added to the 10 South American teams, just as in the centennial Copa América in 2016.

Slow starts did not prevent the Albiceleste from winning their previous two tournaments. Argentina opened the 2022 World Cup with a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia and began the 2021 Copa América with a 1-1 draw against Chile.

Canada made its Copa América debut and played its first competitive match under American coach Jesse Marsch, who was hired on May 13. The former Leeds and New York Red Bulls coach said his side did its best against Messi, but couldn’t contain him the whole night.

“Yeah, we talked a lot about our compactness and then identifying the spaces that Messi likes to show up,” Marsch said. “We talked about not diving in because it’s hard to win tackles from him and what happens is if you eliminate yourself or if you start diving in for tackles, he’s really good slipping and moving and getting back again and making little final plays.

“This is what I say about Messi. I’ve coached against him several times and I feel like we’ve had a good match plan and we’ve executed a lot of good things. He’s so good, he’s that good that he still makes plays. The two balls he makes on the two goals I think are world class. Amazing, it’s awful. It’s amazing.”

Grass was installed at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after a MLS game Saturday on the usual artificial turf.

Argentina started eight players who began the 2022 World Cup final victory over France, inserting central defender  Lisandro Martínez, left back  Marcos Acuña and Leandro Paredes for  Nicolás Otamendi,  Nicolás Tagliafico and  Enzo Fernández.

Argentina goalkeeper  Emiliano Martínez was tested in the 43rd minute, but he used his left hand to bat away a bounced header by  Stephen Eustáquio.

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BREAKING: Declan Rice Fires Late Equaliser as Arsenal Hold Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena

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BREAKING: Declan Rice Fires Late Equaliser as Arsenal Hold Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena—-The England midfielder struck in the 82nd minute to earn Arsenal a dramatic 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich after Harry Kane had put the German champions ahead from the penalty spot.

Arsenal produced a spirited late comeback to secure a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night, with Declan Rice scoring a crucial equaliser in the 82nd minute of their UEFA Champions League encounter.

The Gunners looked set to suffer their first defeat of the league phase after Harry Kane converted a second-half penalty to give Bayern the lead. However, Rice delivered a timely response to ensure Mikel Arteta’s side left Germany with a valuable point.

Eze Gives Arsenal the Lead

Arsenal suffered an early setback when Bukayo Saka was forced off with an injury after approximately 10 minutes.

Eberechi Eze replaced the England winger and made an immediate impact, opening the scoring in the 25th minute after receiving a superb pass from Martin Ødegaard.

Eze drove forward before firing into the bottom corner. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but a VAR review confirmed the effort, giving Arsenal a 1-0 advantage.

Bayern responded through Alphonso Davies, who levelled the contest in the 35th minute after a brilliant through ball from Kane.

Kane Puts Bayern Ahead

The contest remained finely balanced after the interval, with both goalkeepers making important saves to keep their teams in the game.

Bayern eventually took the lead in the 61st minute when Kane converted a penalty after Jurriën Timber handled the ball inside the area.

The former Tottenham striker calmly dispatched the spot kick, putting the hosts 2-1 ahead and leaving Arsenal facing the prospect of defeat.

Kane’s goal also extended his remarkable scoring run in the Champions League to 10 consecutive matches.

Rice Rescues a Point for Arsenal

With time running out, Arsenal found their breakthrough through a well-worked attacking move.

Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyökeres combined in the build-up before Rice surged into the penalty area and fired a low finish beyond Manuel Neuer from an acute angle.

The 82nd-minute strike restored parity at 2-2 and silenced the home crowd, giving Arsenal renewed belief as they pushed for a late winner.

Despite further pressure from the visitors, neither side managed to find another goal, and the points were shared.

Arsenal Maintain Unbeaten Champions League Run

The draw extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run in the Champions League league phase and took their tally to seven points from three matches, following victories over Napoli and Lille.

Bayern, meanwhile, were left frustrated after surrendering their lead late in the contest.

For Arsenal, Rice’s equaliser represented a significant moment in a demanding away fixture, while Eze’s contribution after replacing the injured Saka provided another positive from the encounter.

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BREAKING: Como Humble Manchester United 4-1 At Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, as Nico Paz Hits Brace in Champions League Rout

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BREAKING: Como Humble Manchester United 4-1 At Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, as Nico Paz Hits Brace in Champions League Rout—–Nico Paz scored twice and provided an assist as Champions League newcomers Como produced a stunning performance to dismantle Manchester United in Italy.

Como delivered a memorable European night on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, thrashing Manchester United 4–1 in the UEFA Champions League as Nico Paz inspired the Italian side to a commanding victory.

The Argentine midfielder scored twice and assisted another goal, helping Cesc Fàbregas’ team overwhelm Michael Carrick’s visitors at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.

Manchester United struggled to contain Como’s attacking movement throughout the encounter, with the hosts establishing control early and extending their advantage after the break.

Nico Paz Strikes Early

Como needed just two minutes to take the lead through Paz, who collected a pass from Lucas da Cunha before curling a left-footed effort into the far corner.

The early goal gave the hosts momentum, while United struggled to establish a foothold in the contest.

Despite having opportunities to respond, the visitors failed to find an equaliser before halftime, allowing Como to carry their advantage into the break.

Paz Turns Provider as Como Extend Their Lead

Como doubled their advantage four minutes into the second half when Paz delivered a perfectly weighted through ball for Anastasios Douvikas.

The Greek forward broke through the United defence and finished past the advancing goalkeeper to make it 2–0 in the 49th minute.

Paz then produced another decisive moment eight minutes later. After capitalising on a misplaced pass from Carlos Baleba, the Argentine surged forward and finished confidently to complete his brace and put Como 3–0 ahead.

His performance left United facing an increasingly difficult task as the hosts continued to threaten.

Jacobo Ramón Adds the Fourth

Como added a fourth goal in the 76th minute through defender Jacobo Ramón.

Substitute Kaiki Bruno drove forward down the left before delivering a cross that Ramón headed beyond United goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

The goal capped an impressive attacking display from the home side and underlined the visitors’ defensive struggles.

Zirkzee Scores Late Consolation

Manchester United eventually found the net in stoppage time when Joshua Zirkzee converted a cross from Amad Diallo in the 90th minute, reducing the deficit to 4–1.

However, the late goal did little to change the outcome, as Como comfortably saw out the remaining minutes to secure an emphatic victory.

A Night to Remember for Como

The result marked a major European achievement for Como, whose Champions League campaign has brought the club onto one of football’s biggest stages.

For Paz, the performance was particularly memorable, with his two goals and assist making him the central figure in the victory.

Manchester United, meanwhile, were left to reflect on a difficult night in Italy after being outplayed by a Como side that combined clinical finishing with effective attacking football.

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