Lionel Messi’s trophy hoodoo continues as Chile stun Argentina to win Copa America
Chile won the Copa America for the first time on Saturday when a cheeky penalty from Alexis Sanchez clinched a shootout victory over Argentina and glory for the host nation’s golden generation in front of their own fans.
The two sides were deadlocked 0-0 after 90 minutes and when another half an hour of extra time failed to produce a goal, the contest was destined to be decided by penalties.
Lionel Messi, who has not won any major international trophy, stepped up to score Argentina’s first spot kick but, as the first three Chileans converted unerringly, Gonzalo Higuain and Ever Banega missed.
Our whole idea was to win something, we knew that this was the moment
That left the stage set for forward Sanchez, who made up for a quiet game by dinking the ball into Sergio Romero’s net to send the capacity crowd at Santiago’s National Stadium into raptures.
“Our whole idea was to win something, we knew that this was the moment,” goalkeeper Claudio Bravo said.
“This is a privileged generation and now it is time to enjoy it. We are not used to winning anything so this is an exception.”
Chile had beaten Argentina just once in 38 competitive matches before the final and were outsiders to take the trophy for the first time in the 99-year history of the tournament.