Full time: Argentina 2-0 Canada Messi puts a free kick on goal that’s brought in by the keeper … and there’s the final whistle! Argentina’s title defense, as expected, is off to a flying start. A solid effort by Canada in their Copa América debut, especially in the first half. But in truth the final scoreline is closer than Thursday’s action reflected given Messi missed a couple of breakaway chances with only Crepeau to beat. On the negative side, Canada have now gone 270 minutes scoreless in the Jesse Marsch era … 90 min+3: Argentina win a corner, play it short and back to their half in an attempt to kill the game. Or not. A quick attack ends with Crepeau called upon once again and another corner won. 90 min+2: Schaffelburg has a go from distance and it takes a nasty deflection but Martinez is able to haul in the save. 90 min: Two more changes for Argentina: Gonzalo Montiel and Nicolas Tagliafico come on for Marcos Acuna and Nahuel Molina. As they enter, the fourth official signals for five minutes of added time. 89 min: Martinez becomes the eighth player in Argentina history to reach 25 goals. Argentina look like they’ll be making some final changes. GOAL! Argentina 2-0 Canada (Martinez, 88 min) With Canada’s back four fighting off their back foot, a hard-charging Messi picks out Lautaro Martinez, who times his run perfectly and slots cleanly past Crepeau. Clinical. Curtains. 87 min: Messi seems fine enough as he’s standing over the free kick waiting to take it. In the meantime Canada make a couple of changes as Millar and Kone (shown a yellow a few minutes ago) go off for Jonathan Osorio and Jacen Russell-Rowe. 85 min: Mac Allister takes a foul and Messi re-enters the game. Free kick for Argentina. 84 min: A strong, apparently clean tackle by Bombito caught the side of Messi’s book and the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is down on the pitch as the medical staff comes out. But Messi is up within a minute ambling toward the touch line with a water bottle in hand. Phew. 82 min: Argentina win a free kick. It finds Messi all by himself, who can’t head it past the keeper. If he had, it would have been offside. Moments later Argentina have another chance, forcing Crepeau’s fifth save. And Messi is down. 80 min: Marsch makes another change for Canada. Richie Laryea enters for Cyle Larin. Jonathan David pushes up, moving Alphonso Davies to the wing. 79 min: Moments after a tactical foul by Argentina in the midfield, Messi is sprung loose all by his lonesome. He tries to chip the keeper but the ball slides just wide left of the post. 76 min: Nicolas Otamendi enters for Leandro Paredes while Lautaro Martinez replaces the goal-scorer Julian Alvarez. 75 min: Johnston crosses into the six-yard box and Martinez collects it before Canada can get it on goal. Incoming subs for Argentina ... 74 min: A Davies cross that looks like a shot, or perhaps the other way around, misses the target either way. Scaloni looks ready to make Argentina’s second change. 71 min: … and the decision is no penalty. We’re playing on. 70 min: Shaffelburg goes down in a heap right on the edge of the area. It looks like the contact happened just on the outside of it. The referee has stopped play and he’s in contact with the VAR official. High drama as we await a potential penalty for Canada … 68 min: Argentina make their first change as Giovani Lo Celso comes on for Angel Di Maria. 66 min: Davies crosses from near the end line but it caroms off an Argentina player inside the area, takes an unfortunate bounce, leaving Messi roaring into a counter-attack with only Crepeau to beat! And the keeper comes up huge again! He makes the save and the rebound is tracked by Crepeau long enough for Cornelius to come to the rescue. And it was the flailing Cornelius’s head which blocked Messi’s second attempt on goal! 64 min: Lots of sound but little fury in front of the Argentina goal as Martinez collects easily around a group of Canada players who are unable to get a shot on target. 62 min: De Paul goes into the referee’s book with a yellow for a hand ball. 59 min: First substitution for either side. Jacob Schaffelburg comes on for Canada, replacing Tajon Buchanan. 57 min: Davies midjudges a long ball and Argentina nearly have a chance through Messi, but Canada are bailed out by some fearless defending by Cornelius. 55 min: Di Maria curls in a shot from just outside the area but it sails harmlessly over the crossbar. 53 min: Argentina are now calmly building from the back again with high-pressing Canada looking to force the issue. 50 min: Alvarez nearly has a second goal in as many minutes but his right-footed shot from the center of the box is saved. Argentina win a corner but nothing comes of it. GOAL! Argentina 1-0 Canada (Alvarez, 49 min) Argentina score off a throw-in. A gorgeoius vertical through pass from Messi finds Mac Allister, who pokes it away from Crepeau and gets bulldozed in the process, allowing Alvarez to tap into an open goal. Far too easy for the champions. 47 min: David wins a free kick near the half-way line after a clattering challenge by Paredes, but nothing comes of it. Second half: Argentina 0-0 Canada 46 min: After Argentina’s very long, very methodical walk back out from the dressing room, play resumes with no changes in personnel on either side. Half-time spot analysis: Crepeau has stood on his head to keep Canada in the match. But it’s been special performance so far from Bombito, the Colorado Rapids center-back who has been all class on both ends. With the early nerves out of the way, the Concacaf stalwarts could make things interesting if they manage to clean up their errant passing, which played no small part in Argentina’s 66-34 edge in possession. What an opening half. A quick peek into the half-time inbox: Peter Morrow says: Canada playing with ten times the passion and commitment of England. And against the world champions too... Matan Prilleltensky writes: Hello from Pawling, NY. My dad is from Cordoba, so, lifelong Argentina fan. Why does Argentina seem so fragile at the back? I’d like to see Tagliafico playing but the problem can’t be one player. And Douglas Bell chimes in from Canada, where Stanley Cup fever is afoot, via X: Half-time: Argentina 0-0 Canada Forty-five minutes down. Forty-five to go. And Canada have played the World Cup and Copa América champions to level terms so far. 45 min: The fourth official signals for one minute of added time. 43 min: Larin puts a beautiful ball in to find Eustaquio right in front of the six-yard box but his header from point-blank range is saved by Martinez! Davies is right there with a chance at the rebound but he can’t put it on goal. Best chance of the night for either side! 42 min: Argentina, just a touch imprecise in attack all night, are dispossessed in the final third, but Canada give it right back so carelessly. 39 min: Mac Allister makes a sneaky run between both Canada’s center-backs and gets a head on De Paul’s service, but the Liverpool man can’t get enough power behind it as Crepeau’s comfortably makes his second save of the night. 37 min: Messi’s corner is played short. It’s played back and Argentina re-start the attack from the edge of the final third. Messi takes on a defender and beats him. He’s stopped by the next man up but Canada can’t clear. Argentina still threatening with possession. 36 min: Di Maria takes Cornelius one on one and it goes out for a corner, their second of the night. Messi walks toward the flag to take it ... 32 min: Another attack through Davies, again down the left side where Argentina have looked vulnerable, but Canada can’t produce a shot on goal to match the sense of danger. 30 min: Davies makes the overlapping run, uses his speed to get to the end line and passes to David across the goal, but the Canada forward can’t turn a shot on goal. The 23-year-old Bayern Munich left-back may well be the most physically gifted player on the pitch right now. 27 min: Messi plays a ball out wide that pulls the Canada keeper out of position and leaves the back four completely in disarray. Alvarez crosses it across the wide-open goal mouth, but no Argentina player is there to make them pay. Chaotic bad! Yikes on bikes. 24 min: Davies takes the free kick from right outside the area but it’s blocked by the wall. De Paul is down in a heap. It looks like the ball hit him in the chest, causing him a great deal of pain. When the dust clear the referee initially signals for a corner kick, but he’s overruled and Martínez takes the goal kick. 23 min: De Paul has Canada on their heels as dribbles into the defense. He’s dispossessed by David, then commits a foul while trying to get the ball back. Moments later, Canada wins a free kick from a very dangerous position. A big opportunity for Canada forthcoming ... 19 min: Larin hauls down Paredes, who is appealing to the referee for a yellow card. Play on, Valenzuela says. Free kick from the back for Argentina. 18 min: A nice build-up keyed by Di Maria finds Messi onside but his shot is blocked by Cornelius’s well-time sliding challenge. Argentina calls for a handball but the referee signals to play on. 15 min: Davies looks to build up with Millar along the left flank, but Romero closes in and thwarts the interplay, dispossessing Millar cleanly. 13 min: Canada’s perilously high line is looking awfully inviting for the Argentina attack, which is sitting back patiently at the moment and building up from the back. 10 min: A first chance for Messi but he’s caught offside. 9 min: Davies’ corner is well taken but the Eustaquio’s shot is blocked. Then in an instant it’s Argentina on the counter-attack and they’ve on the run with numbers in their favor. Di Maria uncorks a left-footed shot on the attack but it’s saved! 7 min: Kone wins a foul near the halfway line and moments later Canada win the first corner of the game. Davies to take it. 5 min: Paredes has a go from just outside the area, but his shot sails just high and wide of the target past Crepeau’s outstretched gloves. 4 min: A reader question over the surface: yes, they are playing on a natural grass surface tonight. Atlanta United FC played on artificial turf here Saturday night, but they rolled the real thing over it for tonight’s game per Fifa regulations. 2 min: Argentina hold patiently at the back, taking measure of Canada’s set-up. Argentina v Canada is go ... 1 min: Canada get the ball rolling in their all-red kits. The players in Argentina are in their iconic white and blue shirts with white shorts and socks. Eight of them started in the World Cup final against France. Not long now: The teams march out on to the Mercedez-Benz Stadium pitch and line up either side of Venezuelan referee Jesús Valenzuela and his team of match officials for the national anthems. Jesse Marsch: “An organized and disciplined team will be important. We’ve talked a lot about that, and then an aggressive team that plays fearless, a team that goes after the game,” Canada’s manager said in Wedensday’s pre-match presser. “The challenge with Messi is not just his quality but his ability to kind of move around in the game. He doesn’t just show up in the same places all the time. He’s very clever about coming underneath at times, about how he moves off the back line. Obviously, anytime he gets on the ball, the way that he can start to create combinations and really provide confidence and poise and quality for the team is very unique, right? This is what makes him the best player to ever play the game.” The 50-year-old American coach, who took over last month following John Herdman’s departure in August, acknowledged that Canada could have trouble limiting Messi’s impact. “I’ve played against him, coached against him a few times and had some successes, but he always finds ways to make a difference because his quality is so amazing. So that’ll be the challenge for us,” Marsch said. “The key I think is to really be always aware of where he is and make sure that he’s not in open space and that we’re able to close space and try to make it difficult for him.” Copa América isn’t the only continental football spectacular on at the moment. If you’d like to hear our good friends Max and Barry talk about England being, shall we say, less than, then a just-off-the-presses Football Daily with that new car smell is waiting for you. Lionel Scaloni: “We are talking about things that have already passed. [Winning the World Cup and the Copa América] was very nice but it’s over,” Argentina’s manager said at Wednesday’s pre-match news conference. “Football matches are all different, there are no easier games than others. A lot of things can happen. The difficulty of France, Brazil or Canada can be the same. It will be a difficult Copa América as always, we are prepared for what is to come. We are doing well, with clear ideas and knowing the difficulty of this tournament.” He added: “Beyond the titles, we have enjoyed a lot. It’s a pleasure to watch how [the players] give their all. That leads to being able to achieve things. We have shown that even if we didn’t win like in 2019, we were able to continue and show you can do things.” Argentina v Canada line-ups Argentina XI: Damian Martinez, Acuna, Molina, Romero, Lisandro Martinez, De Paul, Paredes, Mac Allister, Messi, Di Maria, Alvarez Subs: Armani, Rulli, Otamendi, Tagliafico, Pezzella, Lucas Martinez, Montiel, Rodriguez, Lo Celso, Palacios, Fernandez, Carboni, Lautaro Martinez, Gonzalez, Garnacho Canada XI: Crepeau, Davies, Cornelius, Johnston, Bombito, Stephen Eustaquio, Millar, Buchanan, Kone, Larin, David Subs: McGill, St. Clair, Laryea, Miller, Waterman, Hiebert, De Fougerolles, Piette, Osorio, Choiniere, Ahmed, Bair, Shaffelburg, Oluwaseyi, Russell-Rowe Preamble Hello and welcome to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for tonight’s Copa América opening match between Argentina and Canada. A sold-out crowd of more than 70,000 is expected as La Albiceleste launch their title defense in what could be 36-year-old Lionel Messi’s final act with the national team. The Copa América is the most prestigious trophy a South American nation can win outside of the World Cup and while the competition has traditionally been reserved for the 10 nations of Conmebol, organizers have occasionally expanded the field for special guest teams. This year’s tournament brings together 10 South American sides and six from North and Central America and the Caribbean in the second Copa hosted by the United States and first since the Centenario edition of 2016. Argentina, the reigning World Cup and Copa América champions led by Messi, Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martinez, have won the title a total of 15 times, tied with Uruguay for most ever and more than third-placed Brazil (nine). Paraguay, Chile and Peru (two apiece) are the only other countries to have won it more than once. Lionel Scaloni’s side will be hot favorites tonight against a Canada team making their debut in the competition led by Alphonso Davies, Tajon Buchanan and Jonathan David. Atlanta is an underrated football hotbed and the scene tonight promises to be a cracker. At one point Atlanta United FC’s attendance ranked among the top 15 for any club in the world; last year’s average of 47,526 fell off from that mark but was still the highest of any team outside of Europe besides China’s Beijing Guoan. Kickoff is at the top of the hour and we’ll be back with the team sheets as soon as they’re distributed. Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime, here are our writers’ predictions for the tournament champions: Argentina. Lionel Messi may no longer be the best player in the world, but he’s still among the best players in this tournament. Pair his rote brilliance with a team who have proven their ability to win tournaments and you have a successful title defense on your hands. Jon Arnold Argentina. There’s no doubt the winner will come from Conmebol, but picking between the best South American nations feels impossible. Still, Argentina’s squad is littered with elite players and I’m 95% sure Lionel Messi is still the best player at the tournament. You could do a lot worse as far as deciding factors go. Joseph Lowery Argentina. Let’s face it – the team is stacked, experienced and thrive under pressure. This could also be Messi’s last tournament as the captain of his national team, which is a nice bit of extra motivation. Julia Ranney Uruguay. Marcelo Bielsa has built a compact and competitive team who have a clear idea of what they want to do on the pitch. No individual player rises above the others, so they each have an equal presence on the field that knits together seamlessly. No other country, except Argentina, have been South American champions as many times as Uruguay; with the two countries holding 15 titles each. Raúl Vilchis You can read the full report below: