Lionel Messi led Argentina to outplay European reigning champions, Italy during the first edition of the Finalissima at the Wembley Stadium on Wednesday, June 1, 2022.
The Finalissima is a one-game tournament between the winners of the UEFA European Championship (Euro) and the winners of the South American Championship (Copa America).
Recall that Italy beat England via penalties in 2021 to win Euro 2020. While Argentina beat Brazil in the final of Copa America in 2021.
During the Finalissima, Argentina recorded 17 percent of the ball possession while Italy managed 44 percent of the ball possession.
Lionel Messi and his teammates were also superior to Italy in terms of shots on goal. Argentina recorded 17 shots, 10 of which were on target. While the Italian team recorded 7 shots 3 of which were on target.
Argentina took the lead as early as the 28th minute of the game thanks to Lautaro Martinez’s strike. In the added one minute of the first half, Angel Di Maria doubled Argentina’s lead.
When Italy thought the game would end in a 2-0 win, Paulo Dybala stepped up to add one goal to it to make it a 3-0 win over the European Champions.
Lionel Messi who suffered inconsistent form at Paris Saint Germain in the 2021-2022 season played for the entire 90 minutes of the Finalissima. And as expected, the 34-year-old Argentine footballer provided two assists to ensure that his team beat the Italian team convincingly.
Lionel Messi in the Finalissima: 🇦🇷
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) June 1, 2022
1st in assists (2)
1st in dribbles completed (4)
1st in chances created (4)
1st in fouls received (5)
1st in duels won (10)
1st in passes in the opposing half (46)
2nd in passes completed (58)
This via @argentidata. pic.twitter.com/PCTwfS6bY0
The fact that Messi won the Finalissima with Argentina means that the FC Barcelona legend won two trophies for Argentina in the last 12 months.
Messi who has won virtually everything football has to offer except the prestigious FIFA World Cup will lead Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November and attempt to end his wait for the trophy.
If Messi fails to win the forthcoming World Cup, the 34-year-old footballer might not have the opportunity to play in the 2026 edition of the tournament because he would have turned 38-year-old before then.
Note that Lionel Messi managed to play 33 games in all competitions for PSG this season in which he scored 11 goals and provided 15 assists which are below his standards while at FC Barcelona between 2005 and 2021. His contract with PSG is expected to expire on June 30, 2023.
