Copa America Final: Messi misses penalty as Chile stun Argentina in shootout

Holders Chile stunned Argentina to win the Copa America Centenario in a penalty shoot-out here Sunday as Lionel Messi's title curse struck again.

Messi blazed a penalty over the bar in the shoot-out before Lucas Biglia missed to leave Chile's Francisco Silva with the task of stroking home the winning spot-kick at the MetLife Stadium.

It was a carbon copy of last year's Copa America final, also won by Chile on penalties after a goalless draw.

Argentina's players meanwhile were left disconsolate as they digested a third defeat in a major final following losses to Germany in the 2014 World Cup and Chile in last year's Copa.

The defeat also ensured Argentina's 23-year wait for a major title - and a first for five-time world player of the year Messi - continued.

The final had gone to penalties after finishing deadlocked at 0-0 after 120 minutes.

Both sides were reduced to 10 men in the first half as Brazilian referee Heber Lopes struggled to get a grip on an ill-tempered contest played in front of a crowd of 82,026.

The first yellow card of the match came in the 16th minute when Marcelo Diaz brought down Messi with a cynical hack across the thighs as the Barcelona star advanced on the Chilean goal.

Argentina should have taken the lead on 21 minutes when a defensive blunder from Gary Medel, miscontrolling a back pass, allowed Gonzalo Higuain to go clean through on goal.

Higuain had time and space but opted to lift his shot over the advancing Bravo and it rolled wide of the post in a huge let-off for Chile.

It was a nightmarish case of deja vu for Higuain, who missed potentially match winning chances in both the 2014 World Cup final and last year's Copa America.

Seven minutes later Chile were left rocking when Messi burst forward only to be bodychecked blatantly by Diaz.

For a moment it appeared that referee Lopes had forgotten Diaz's earlier caution but eventually he brandished a red card and Chile were down to 10.

It ought to have been a warning to both sides but the spiteful tone continued for the remainder of the half, with Javier Mascherano and Arturo Vidal next into the book in the 37th minute.

The next flare-up came on 40 minutes when Messi darted into the box at high speed and tumbled over following a collision with Jose Pedro Fuenzalida.

Chile's players surrounded Lopes demanding a yellow card for a dive and Messi was duly booked even though it looked for all the world as if he had simply gone down after being caught off balance.

Rojo red

Two minutes from half-time and Lopes was reaching for a red card, this time sending off Manchester United's Marcos Rojo for a rough tackle on Vidal.

The cards continued in a fractious start to the second half, Jean Beausejour booked for hacking at Gabriel Mercado.

A cynical foul on Messi by Charles Aranguiz resulted in another yellow card.

The introduction of Sergio Aguero for Higuain had little effect with Argentina failing to break the stalemate.

Chile striker Eduardo Vargas went close on the 80th minute, thumping a fierce low shot that Romero did well to block at his near post.

Aguero had a chance to steal victory in the 84th minute when he was worked into space on the right of the box but he blazed his shot high and wide.

There was still time for late drama when Ramiro Funes-Mori made a stunning match-saving block to deny Alexis Sanchez.

From the Argentinian counter-attack, Messi surged forward from halfway to shoot wide.

Amid suffocating tension in extra-time, Chile had the best early chance to score in the 98th minute when he headed Edson Puch's cross only to be denied by Romero.

Aguero then drew a fine save from Bravo with a looping header.

After that there was little in the way of chances, leaving the game to hinge on the penalty shoot-out.

GOAL! Chile 4 (Silva) Arg 2 (Biglia shot saved)

GOAL! Chile 3 (Beausejour) Arg 2 (Biglia shot saved)

GOAL! Chile 3 (Beausejour) Arg 2

GOAL! Chile 2 (Aranguiz) Arg 2 (Aguero)

GOAL! Chile 2 (Aranguiz) Arg 1

GOAL! Chile 1 (Castillo) Arg 1 (Mascherano)

GOAL! Chile 1 (Castillo) Arg (Messi) 0

Miss! Chile 0 Arg (Messi) 0

Save! Chile (Vidal) 0 Arg 0 (save)

Extra-time (second half)

Argentina 0 Chile 0

112" Argentina get a free-kick. Can Messi work his wonder. No his kick deflects off a defender for a corner and Chile manage to avert danger.

109" Romero makes a timely charge out to deny Isla.

Extra-time (first half)

Argentina 0 Chile 0

99" Aguero denied finally after his header, from a Messi free-kick, is punched over at the last minute by Bravo's brilliance. At first it looked like the ball was heading to the top corner but somehow the Barca keeper springs up, tilts back, and sensationally tips over the crossbar.

98" The match has opened up a little with Vargas now heading straight into Romero from close.

95" Aguero is again in the box but is unable to make it count, instead looks for a penalty.

93" YELLOW! Kranevitter gets into the ref's book but Funes Mori gets away without a card after a harsh tackle on Isla.

91" Biglia stamps his foot into Aranguiz who needs attention.

Full-time

Argentina 0 Chile 0

90" Three minutes added.

90" Sanchez misses what could have been the winner.

89" Banega makes another mess of a shot from 15 yards.

87" Argentina earn a free-kick outside the box on the right but Banega floats it into a crowd and its cleared. 

83" Aguero is again the culprit. He does well to get past a defender but from the edge of the box slams his shot off the mark.

78" Vargas takes an on-the-run shot from the right but Romero makes his first save of the match.

75" Sanchez is writhing in pain after he was caught by a high tackle from Mercado.

72" A dazzling run by Messi as he waltzes past the Chile defender but Aguero undoes his good work by shooting wide and over when an unmarked Mercado was waiting in open space in the box.

69" Higuain is substituted by Sergio Aguero.

68" YELLOW!  Aranguiz cautioned for tackle on Messi.

63" A lovely breakaway by Chile to catch Argentina off guard. Alexis finds Isla, he crosses to Vargas, he touches off, but Alexis is offside and it comes to nothing.

57" A not full fit Di Maria is substituted by Matias Kranevitter.

56" Mauricio Isla takes a cracker of a shot but its wide. 

54" Higuain is completely off target from top of the box.

51" YELLOW! Beausejour is booked.

50" Both teams playing a little more cautiously.

49" Edmundo Vargas takes a shy in the box but its wayward. 

46" It's Chile who are pressing early in the second half. 

Half-time

Argentina 0 Chile 0

45+4" Chile earn a corner but an Argentine defender heads it to safety and there goes the whistle.

45" Five minutes added.

40" RED! Marcos Rojo is booked with a straight red for a tackle on Vidal. The match is losing control with both teams almost coming to blows with one another. Both reduced to 10 men now.

39" YELLOW! Messi is cautioned now for what the referee thinks was a dive in the box although the star striker semmed to have lost his balance after beating a defender.

35" YELLOW! Brazilian referee Heber Lopes is busy flashing cards, this time its for Mascherano and Vidal.

28" RED! Marcelo Diaz is sent for an early shower after another tackle on Messi. Chile are down to 10 men as Diaz was earlier shown the yellow..

25" A little over a quarter of the match and Chile are yet to strike some balance.

23" Otamendi rises above his marker to head a Messi free-kick only to find the side netting.

21" Higuain misses a golden opportunity after Chile defender Medel makes a blunder to set the Argentine all alone with only Bravo at his mercy. The goalkeeper does well to block the angle leaving Higuain to try and dink it past him only to hit it wide.

18" Messi and Di Maria work in tandem. The latter is surrounded by Chilean defenders but makes room and tries a score with his right foot but the ball sails over. 

15" YELLOW! Dangerous run by Messi but is brought down by Diaz who is rightly booked. Messi is with the free-kick from 30 yards but finds Bravo in the way.

11" Sanchez and Vidal try to break through but lose control. 

9" Charles Aranguiz is struck in the face by a Messi shot and is felled to the ground, needs attention but is fine.

5" Argentina are looking positive with Messi making his presence felt after trying to dribble his way into the Chile zone. Manages a free-kick but to no avail.   

22 seconds:Argentina are on the go with Banega trying a long shot from outside the box which goes narrowly wide past the post. 

Angel Di Maria has been declared fit to start after overcoming an adductor injury and he takes his place in the Albiceleste’s strongest XI, while their counterparts, La Roja, go with an attacking formation.

Match will kick-off at 4am UAE time.

STARTING XI
Argentina: Romero, Mercado, Otamendi, Funes Mori, Rojo, Banega, Mascherano, Biglia, Messi, Higuain, Di Maria.

Chile: Bravo, Isla, Jara, Medel, Beausejour, Aranguiz, Diaz, Vidal, Alexis, Fuenzalida, Vargas.

TEAM FORMATIONS

Argentina: 4-3-3

Chile: 4-3-3

Preview

Another year, another final for Lionel Messi and Argentina.

They made it to the championship match at the 2014 World Cup - and lost 1-0 in extra time to Germany.

They made it to the 2015 Copa America final - and lost on penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw against Chile.

Two games, and no goals for Messi, or any of his teammates.

Now with a special Centennial Copa America celebrating the 100th anniversary of South America's championship, La Albiceleste get a rematch against Chile on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, seeking their first major title in 23 years.

Messi has been his transcendent self to lead Argentina back to this moment.

"We've been spectacular from Day 1," he said after the semifinals, "and we deserved this."

But of course all that will be quickly forgotten if they lose again.

And they're facing a Chile team that left Colombia and Mexico stunned by its fast starts in its last two games.

Argentina beat Chile 2-1 to open this tournament - without Messi, who was returning from an injury.

Chile has found its form in the knockout rounds, though, with a 7-0 quarter-final rout of Mexico and a 2-0 win in the semis over Colombia without suspended midfielder Arturo Vidal, when both goals came in the first 11 minutes.

Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi made sure to mention Saturday that 20 days have passed since the first meeting between these two teams. His squad has since corrected the mistakes that led to Argentina's goals.

"We lost because of our own failures," insisted defensive midfielder Marcelo Diaz, who missed the semifinals because of injury but pronounced himself fit for Sunday. "That's not going to happen tomorrow."

This is a confident Chile team, as Diaz put it, "not just individually but collectively."

And he suggested that Argentina perhaps shouldn't be deemed the favourite Sunday considering what happened in last year's Copa final in Chile.

"The players are practically the same ones," Diaz said through a translator Saturday. "The tactics are precisely the same."

The Argentina-born Pizzi, who took over from Jorge Sampaoli after last year's Copa title, summed up those tactics this way:

"The rhythm, the intensity, the aggressiveness we want to deliver from the very start."

Of course Chile will need to try to keep Messi from dictating play, he acknowledged, but he reminded everyone what got his team this far, an approach he sounded loath to change.

"Our style of play has allowed us to overcome some immensely difficult opponents," Pizzi said.

None more difficult, though, than Argentina when Messi is at his best. For one more day, at least, he'll face questions about whether he can be at his best in the final of a major tournament.

Argentina coach Gerardo Martino expects to have available Angel Di Maria, who has been out with an adductor injury since the second game of this tournament.

Di Maria had a goal and an assist in the first meeting with Chile.

Martino insisted Saturday that his players could relax once they reached the final.

"The biggest burden the players carried was getting to this situation," he said through a translator.

But it has not been a calm few days since Argentina beat the U.S. 4-0 in Tuesday's semifinal.

Following that victory, Messi complained on Instagram about the national federation when the team's flight was delayed. That federation is now under FIFA's control after its president was charged with fraud.

Martino didn't want to talk about the federation Saturday.

"What concerns me," he said, "is tomorrow's match."

Twenty-three years of concern will be weighing on his players.

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