Official match report Argentina v Mexico - Copa America 2007
The Argentinean national squad will clash with Brazil in the final of Copa América Venezuela-2007, after defeating Mexico 3-nil, in the semifinals of the continental tournament, held at the Cachamay Stadium, in Puerto Ordaz.
The derby between the two powerhouses of South-American football will take place next Sunday, in Maracaibo, where Brazil already await their archrivals, after beating the Uruguayans in a penalty shoot-out following a 2-all scoreline in regulation.
The collapse of the Mexican defensive resistance, at the Cachamay Stadium, began with defender
Gabriel Heinze, on 45 minutes, but the Argentinean show was sealed by
Messi, on 61 minutes, and
Riquelme, on 66, with stylish passing and chips that beat goalie Oswaldo Sánchez.
Mexico will play against Uruguay, in Caracas, for third and fourth places.
The Argentineans played with infinite patience, waiting for the right moment to seal the match, but more than ever, on this Wednesday evening, they faced a tough defensive formation that boasted efficiency, concentration and grit.
The deadballs and corner-kicks taken by Riquelme became a lethal weapon, because these set-pieces have transformed passes into goals, as seen in the first Argentinean goal of the night.
This is how Riquelme demolished the Mexican wall, built with discipline by Jaime Correa, the warrior attitude of Gerardo
Torrado, the harmony between Rafa Márquez and Jonny Magallón in the middle of the defensive line, and the powerful support of Fausto Pinto.
It was a key moment to attack, seconds before the break, when Messi and Carlos Tevez were having difficulty to breach the Mexican defense.
In the last minute of the first half, the Argentineans finally managed to break the deadlock. Left-back Heinze ghosted into the Mexican box and opened the scoring from a set-play taken by Riquelme.
In the second half, Tevez and Messi combined better and found a way to beat the Mexican defenders. The Mexicans tried to level the score.
An injured Nery Castillo was not the same swift and determined striker seen in previous tournaments and was unable to cause problems to Roberto Ayala and Gabriel Milito.
Due to their tactical formation, Mexico had a contention mechanism, and did battle in midfield, but to no avail, even when they tried to use the more vulnerable Argentinean wing, protected by Javier Zanetti.
The Mexican coach, Hugo Sanchez, used all his weapons, fielding Alberto Medina and Omar Bravo, trying not to leave gaps for the Argentineans, who took the offensive initiative. Castillo struck a ball on the crossbar of Abbandonzieri, just before the Argentineans added a second.
Messi picked up a pass by Tevez and broke into the area before chipping the ball over Sánchez, with a soft strike to double the lead for his country, on 61 minutes.
The Mexicans felt the blow and crumbled. Five minutes later, on 66 minutes, Tevez was tripped in the box for a penalty. Riquelme did the honors from the spot with a classy shot, to send keeper Sanchez the opposite way and seal the semifinal match.
Below is a 9min match highlights video with Portuguese commentary and slick editing.
It shows all 3 excellent goals, the 1st being from Liverpool's potential signing, defender Gabriel Heinze. Enjoy!