Argentina thrashed Paraguay 6-1 in the second semi-final of Copa America 2015 at the Estadio Municipal Alcaldesa Ester Roa Rebolledo on Tuesday. And the man behind the victory was none other than Lionel Messi.
Messi might have failed to find the back of the net against Paraguay, but he provided three assists from which his team-mates scored. He has managed a solitary goal in the entire tournament so far, but he is apparently not worried about it. And feels that it is not always about him scoring goals, but about the team playing a complete game as a cohesive unit.
"I am not too worried that I did not score any goals. We played a complete game. We did what we were doing in the previous matches. We follow the same idea. We fulfilled the first objective of being in another final. We are very excited that we can be champions," said Messi.
Gerardo Martino's men were not scoring as many goals as their star-studded attackers were expected to do. But they did it against Paraguay and by doing that they have sent out a clear message to their opponents in the big final of the Copa America 2015 (which is the host nation Chile) that if Messi cannot find the back of the net then they have Angel di Maria, Marcus Rojo, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero, who can deliver upfront when needed.
"It is a final and I am hopeful. It will be a close game. Winning the Copa would round off something spectacular. I really want to win something with the national team," Messi added.
Mid-fielder Javier Mascherano feels otherwise. He thinks that even if his side is at their best it will not be easy to beat the host nation in front of the home crowd who will backing the hosts right from the start. Chile have never won the Copa America title ever since its inception, but Argentina have the chance to add yet another Copa America trophy to their tally.
"Now we are not going back. We will continue to play our way. We are going to play a final, not a war. We are brotherly countries. I do not see a clear favourite in the final. Whoever does the best things will be the winner," Mascherano said.
