ANALYSIS – Julián Álvarez played a big role in Argentina’s win, as he was involved in a lot of his team’s scoring chances. He also proved to be the main reason why Argentina won the game, as his goal changed the momentum of the game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
ANALYSIS: Julián Álvarez Plays Big Role in Canada’s Win Over Argentina
Full Game Summary
Julián Álvarez’s Scores His Second Goal Against the CanMNT
The CANMNT, just like in the game against Venezuela, started the game strong. However, despite the run of play, Argentina seemed to be the team to score first. Álvarez’s goal on June 20 played an important role in the win for Argentina against Canada.
His first goal in this game also played a huge role, as it was Argentina’s first big chance to score. CANMNT head coach, Jesse Marsch, also said this after Argentina (nicknamed: La Albiceleste) scored their first goal of the game (Source: TJ Sports USA YouTube Account):
To be fair to Canada, they did respond well to giving up the first goal. However, the bigger problem is probably the goal-scoring and where it is going to come from.
The CanMNT Were Not Clinical Enough in The Final Third
The CANMNT were not clinical enough in the final third. They did a great job of creating those opportunities, but unable to convert them:
- Jacob Shaffelburg had a great tournament, but looked less dangerous in this game, and failed to convert on his early goal-scoring opportunities.
- On many occasions, Jonathan David did not look sharp as he was not able to settle the ball all game long. A lone exception though was his ability to create himself a scoring chance following a Stephen Eustáquio corner.
- Tani Oluwaseyi had some great chances to score at the end of the game but was unable to convert.
The thing about Canada is that despite the chances created, they never really threatened and forced Emiliano Martínez to make a big stop. The two saves he made were relatively comfortable and this is something they will need to work on with their third-place game coming up.
Argentina Took Advantage of Their Scoring Opportunities
Argentina only had three shots on goal. However, they made the most of it as they scored on two of those three shots on goal. The La Albiceleste seemed to be patient and waited for their scoring opportunities. This included:
- Lionel Messi had a few chances to score but were off target. The most notable one was in the 43 minute when he got past a Canadian defender, but was unable to finish.
- Álvarez had some great scoring chances to score as well.
Saying that, Messi was able to score his first goal of the 2024 Copa America competition. It came off a deflection from an Enzo Fernandez shot as Maxime Crépeau got a touch to it but could not stop it.
Other Factors: Ismaël Koné and the Bench Had Great Games
READ MORE: A Fantastic CanMNT Team Effort in Thrilling Win Over Venezuela
Ismaël Koné might have been the player of the match for Canada. Replacing Jonathan Osorio on the starting lineup, he was their best player. He used his speed to his advantage and created scoring opportunities for his team, especially early on in the game. Other players that impressed included Ali Ahmed and Tani Oluwaseyi. Ahmed created some really great scoring chances and Oluwaseyi is showing initiative and getting himself in the right spots to try and score.
This is what Marsch said about the bench players of the game (Source: TJ Sports USA):
This is a big point as this shows that there is some depth with the Canadian side.
As for Argentina, credit to them. They did not take Canada lightly in this game, and also seemed to read some of the passes and plays Canada were making at certain points of the game. They came prepared with a game-plan and they succeeded. They also tried to take advantage of Crépeau being off his line a few times, which showed that they studied Canada’s game against Venezuela.
Games Coming Up for Both Teams
READ MORE: Argentina v Canada: A Rematch of the 2024 Copa América Opener
The CANMNT will play for third place on July 13, 2024, at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina at 8:00pm ET against Uruguay. This is while Argentina will play in the 2024 Copa América final at 8:00pm ET on July 14, 2024, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida against Colombia. Both games will be televised nationally on TSN/RDS.
Photo Credit: Canada Soccer EN X Account and the Canada Soccer FR X Account on July 9, 2024.
