Could there be any better game for neutrals than the Copa America final between Argentina and Chile on Saturday?
The contest pits the favorite against the tournament’s high-scoringhost in a game that feels like a must-win for both countries. As AFP says, it is atrue clash of a pair of golden generations.
Despite boasting the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria and Javier Mascherano (among others),Argentina has not won a major competition since the 1993 Copa America, which means that none of the richly talented players on its current roster has ever lifted an international trophy.
Asever, all eyes will be on Barcelona’s star man, Messi, who less than a month ago completed his second treble-winning campaign in ten seasons with the Catalan club. Messi was having a relativelyquiet Copa America before he exploded into life with three assists and a man-of-the-match performance in the 6-1 thrashing of Paraguay in the semifinal. The Argentina captain, who 10 years years agolifted the U-20 World Cup title with his country, has said this Albiceleste golden generation is desperate to erase the memory of last year’s heartbreaking World Cup final loss toGermany.
“This generation is desperate to win a title with the national team,” Messi said in a press conference ahead of the tournament. “As a team, we deserve to win something and itwould mean so much after the World Cup last year where we came so close.”
Manchester City striker Aguero believes that defeat is not an option. “If this generation of players don’t winanything we’re going to regret it for the rest of our lives,” he said.
However, despite its talented roster, Argentina might be considered the underdog heading into Saturday’s final. Upuntil the 6-1 thrashing of Paraguay, the Albiceleste had been disappointing.
Though Chile’s golden generation is similarly deeply talented, it has the added advantage of playingSaturday’s final at home, in front of 50,000 adoring fans at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago.
It also has the momentum: if the Copa America team of the tournament were to be handed out today, it would mostly contain Chilean players.The likes of Alexis Sanchez, Eduardo Vargas, Jorge Valdivia, Gary Medel and Arturo Vidal have never played better together, amassing a tournament-high 13 goals in five games, andspreading those goals around, too.
But Chile has never beaten Argentina at the Copa America in 24 meetings and it has never won a major international tournament, both of which could play onthe collective psychology of La Roja.
Regardless of what happens on Saturday, this is as fitting a final as any neutral could ask for: the competition’s two best and highest-scoringteams set to square off for the chance to make history for their country.