An amusing, injured Copa America had an amusing, painful conclusion as Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 to lift the 2021 edition and be crowned South America. A lucrative chip from Angel Di Maria in the 22nd minute proved to be enough to seal the deal.
Here are the best stats from the finals:
1
The image that rises above all. Lionel Messi has won his first major title with Argentina.
1
Argentina is the first team in men's football history to beat Brazil in consecutive matches played in the historic Maracan (Argentina won their last meeting in a 1998 friendly, a few months before the World Cup).
They are also the only team with three victories in Maracan मारा (also won in 1957) against Brazil.
1
Interesting on the one hand. This was the first meeting between Messi and Neymar in the Copa América, and their first and only one-on-one meeting in the final since the 2011 Club WC final between Santos and Barcelona. It was the first time they played each other since Neymar's transfer-market-shattering move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.
4
Di Maria's goal helped Argentina break a four-game scoreless streak in the finals of major tournaments.
4
Emiliano Martinez kept more clean sheets (four) in the 2021 Copa America than any other goalkeeper, becoming the first Argentine goalkeeper to win the Golden Glove since the introduction of the award.
4, 5
Messi finished the tournament as joint leader in goals (four) and outright leader in assists (five), thus winning the Golden Boot and the player of the tournament award.
6
This is the sixth time Brazil has hosted the Copa America and the first time they have failed to win it as hosts. His last five victories were in 2019, 1989, 1949, 1922 and 1919.
7
Argentina have won the knockout stage meeting against Brazil for the first time in seven tries. They last defeated Brazil in a knockout stage game in the 1993 Copa America quarter-finals.
10
This was Messi's 10th senior international tournament. This is how they've gone:
2006 World Cup - quarter final; 2007 Copa America - Final; 2010 World Cup - quarter finals; 2011 Copa America - Quarterfinals; 2014 World Cup - Final; 2015 Copa America - Final; 2016 Copa America - Final; 2018 World Cup - Round of 16; 2019 Copa America - Semifinals; 2021 Copa America: Champion.
13
Opener ngel Di Maria's goal was Argentina's first in any competition since his goal against France at the 2018 World Cup - a 13-game drought without a goal for La Albiceleste, his first with the national team Longest goal.
15
It was Argentina's 15th Copa América title, tying Uruguay in the all-time winners chart.
28
The win ended a 28-year major title drought for Argentina, whose last major title was the 1993 Copa America.
39
Argentina's victory saw them level off against their biggest rivals with 39 wins (they have also played 25 draws).
84
Argentina defeated Brazil in the final of a major tournament for the first time since the 1937 Copa America 84 years ago.
July 10
Not a statistic, just an interesting piece of information that adds another layer to the relationship between two of the greatest footballers of this generation - Messi won the first senior international trophy of his career on July 10, 2021. Cristiano Ronaldo won his first Senior International trophy on 10 July 2016.