Lionel Messi has stressed the importance of Argentina having started the Copa América on the right foot with a 2-0 win over Canada on Thursday in Atlanta.
Messi, who set a Copa América record by playing in his 35th match, said: “It [the win] gives you calmness because you suffer a lot when you start with a loss.
“We had not experienced it [to start a tournament with a win] before under [Argentina coach Lionel] Scaloni.”
However, bad starts have not hurt Argentina in recent years. They drew their Copa América 2021 opener with Chile but went on to win the tournament.
At the 2022 World Cup, they were famously beaten 2-1 by Saudi Arabia, ending a 36-game unbeaten streak, and yet went on to beat France in the final.
Argentina are now seeking their third straight major title and Messi said they must keep playing as a team.
“From the beginning, this group proved it is a team and that is how we have achieved what we have achieved,” the Inter Miami forward said. “The only path to be able to achieve it again is to continue in this manner.”
His through ball led to Julián Álvarez’s opener, before he provided the assist for Lautaro Martínez’s 88th-minute goal.
