Late Martinez Goal Sends Argentina To Copa America Quarter-Finals Against Chile

Lautaro Martinez scored a dramatic late goal, securing Argentina's 1-0 victory over Chile and ensuring their place in the Copa America knockout stages with one game remaining. The reigning champions seemed destined for a draw at MetLife Stadium after failing to convert their dominance into goals. However, substitute Martinez, who also scored in the opener against Canada, broke Chile's defence two minutes from time.

Argentina dominated the first half with 13 shots, though only three were on target. Julian Alvarez had a close-range effort saved by Claudio Bravo in the 22nd minute. Lionel Messi nearly scored with a 25-yard shot that hit the post in the 36th minute. Erick Pulgar almost deflected Nahuel Molina's cross into his own net shortly after.

Despite dominating most of the match and registering 22 shots compared to Chile's three, Argentina needed just one goal to secure victory. Martinez's late strike ensured Argentina progressed to the knockout stages for the 14th consecutive time, excluding their withdrawal from the 2001 tournament.

Chile's defensive efforts and Bravo's inspired performance kept Argentina at bay for most of the match. Bravo made crucial saves, including stopping Molina's fierce shot five minutes into the second half and tipping Nicolas Gonzalez's drive onto the crossbar just after an hour.

Chile appeared set to frustrate Argentina once more at Copa America, aiming for a second consecutive clean sheet. Their defensive resolve seemed unbreakable until Martinez’s late intervention. More concerning for La Roja is their four-match goalless streak in Copa America, with their first attempt on goal today coming in the 72nd minute.

With a game against Peru remaining, Argentina leads Group A with six points, three ahead of Canada who beat Peru earlier in the day. A draw against Peru will be enough for Argentina to secure top spot in their group.

Chile must address their scoring issues quickly before their crucial final Group A clash with Canada. A win could still see them secure second place and advance to the quarter-finals.

"Primer paso? Superado! Estamos en cuartos de final," tweeted Selección Argentina (@Argentina) on June 26, 2024.

The recent history between Argentina and Chile suggests that Argentina should be confident against La Roja. They are unbeaten after 90 minutes in their last 13 meetings, winning eight of those matches. However, seven of these victories were by a single-goal margin, and they lost on penalties in the Copa America finals of 2015 and 2016.

Scaloni strengthened his attack by bringing on Angel Di Maria and Martinez for the final 17 minutes as Chile increased their attacking threat with Rodrigo Echeverria forcing Emiliano Martinez into action twice.

The breakthrough came when an 88th-minute corner fell kindly for Martinez, who reacted quickly to score and send La Albiceleste through to the quarter-finals.