Lionel Messi-Led Argentina Dominates Paraguay To Reach Final

Argentina

Argentina has reached the final of the Copa America after a convincing 2-0 win over Paraguay. The victory was set up by a stunning goal from Lionel Messi, who has been in superb form throughout the tournament. Messi opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a trademark free-kick from just outside the penalty area. The ball curled beautifully into the top corner of the net, giving the Paraguay goalkeeper no chance. Argentina doubled their lead in the 55th minute when Lautaro Martinez scored from close range after a fine cross from Nicolas Otamendi. Argentina controlled the game throughout and could have won by a more significant margin. They had several other chances to score, but Paraguay's goalkeeper made some excellent saves. Paraguay offered little in attack and never looked like getting back into the game. The victory means Argentina will now face Brazil in the final on Saturday. It will be a rematch of the 2019 Copa America final, which Brazil won 2-0. Argentina will be hoping to avenge that defeat and win their first major trophy since 1993.

Paraguay

Paraguay was aiming to reach their first Copa America final since 2007 but struggled to match Argentina's quality. They were outplayed in all areas and barely created any chances to score. Paraguay's hopes of a comeback were dealt a blow when they were reduced to 10 men in the 70th minute. Gustavo Gomez was sent off for a second yellow card after a reckless challenge on Messi. The dismissal allowed Argentina to take complete control of the game. They could have added several more goals in the closing stages, but Paraguay's goalkeeper made some excellent saves. Paraguay will be disappointed to have bowed out at the semi-final stage, but they can take heart from reaching the last four. They have shown some promising signs of progress under new coach Eduardo Berizzo, and they will be hoping to build on this performance in the future.