Argentina's bid for Copa America title was off to an unsatisfactory start as despite a stunning free-kick from their superstar Lionel Messi, the team had to settle for a 1-1 draw in their tournament opener against Chile on Monday night.
Messi gave the team a big advantage by putting them at the front in the first half (33rd minute) with a brilliant free-kick from 30 yards. However, Chile, playing without their star forward Alexis Sanchez, levelled the scoreline with a 57th-minute strike from Eduardo Vargas, who scored right after Arturo Vidal's penalty kick was blocked by shot-stopper Emiliano Martinez
Argentina were largely the dominant force in the game with 18 shots throughout the match but wayward finishing often kept them away from finding the winner. Speaking after the match, Messi also made his dissatisfaction heard on team's performance saying that the team failed to show calmness and quick ball movement during the match while pointing out that conceding the penalty changed the game.
"It was a complicated match. We were missing tranquility, ball control and were not playing quicker," said Messi to the media after the match in Rio. "The penalty changed the game as we wanted to start by winning. Now we have to face Uruguay, which will also be complicated but you have to start thinking about the next match from now."
