The 2021 Copa América Final was a
football match to determine the winners of the
2021 Copa América
The 2021 Copa América was the 47th edition of the Copa América, the international men's football championship organised by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. The tournament took place in Brazil from 13 June to 10 July 2021. The to ...
. The match was the 47th
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
* Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
of the
Copa América
The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...
, a quadrennial tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of
CONMEBOL. The match was held at
Estádio do Maracanã in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
on 10 July 2021.
The match featured two
rival teams:
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...
and the tournament hosts,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. Argentina won the match 1–0 to clinch their fifteenth Copa América title and first since
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, giving captain
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
his first senior international trophy sixteen years into his career and ending a 28-year trophy drought. Argentina also equalled
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
's record of Copa América titles.
Background
Argentina and Brazil are
long-time rivals, having played 107 prior matches in international competition. The two teams are among the most successful in South American football and had met in three prior Copa América finals in
1937
Events
January
* January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua.
* January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Febr ...
,
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
, and
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
.
In
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...
, where the two teams have large fanbases, police banned outdoor gatherings in certain rural districts after clashes erupted between rival fans. In the
Brahmanbaria District
Brahmanbaria ( bn, ব্রাহ্মণবাড়িয়া, translit=Brahmôṇbaṛiya) is a district in eastern Bangladesh located in the Chittagong Division. Geographically, it is mostly farmland and is topographically part of the Ga ...
, a clash between fans resulted in serious injuries to four people.
Venue
The 2021 Copa América was originally planned to be hosted by Argentina and Colombia, with the final scheduled for 12 July 2020 at the
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez
Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, commonly known as Estadio Metropolitano, or colloquially, El Metro, is a multi-use all-seater football stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia. It is the home stadium of local football team Atlético Junior. I ...
in
Barranquilla
Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Col ...
, Colombia. On 17 March 2020, CONMEBOL announced that the tournament would be postponed by a year due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
, alongside the
2020 European Championships. Weeks before the tournament, Colombia was removed as host amid the
ongoing protests in the country, while Argentina announced that they would be unable to host due to the worsening COVID-19 case rate and were replaced with Brazil despite their high death rate.
For the second consecutive time, the final was held at Rio de Janeiro's
Maracanã Stadium
Maracanã Stadium ( pt, Estádio do Maracanã, standard Brazilian Portuguese: , local pronunciation: ), officially named Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho (), is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The stadium is part o ...
, the largest stadium in Brazil. It was opened at 10 percent capacity, or 6,500 spectators, for the match due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The stadium was excluded from hosting matches in earlier rounds of the competition due to its damaged pitch and was replaced with
Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos
Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos is a multi-purpose stadium located in the neighbourhood of Engenho de Dentro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is used mostly for football matches and athletics and is the home stadium of the football club B ...
, where players criticised the playing surface. The pitch at the Maracanã was re-laid by CONMEBOL a few days before the final.
Officials
The referee in charge of the match was
Esteban Ostojich from Uruguay. Ostojich, along with two fellow Uruguayan linesmen, had also officiated group stage matches between Brazil and Venezuela, Peru and Colombia, and quarter final match between Peru and Paraguay. Peruvian referee
Diego Haro was the fourth official having officiated in the group stage match between Bolivia and Paraguay and also as fourth official in the Argentina versus Bolivia group stage match. Uruguayan
Andrés Cunha was the main video assistant referee.
Route to the final
Argentina

Argentina was the second-most successful nation at the Copa América with 14 victories, only one behind
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
's all-time total of 15 titles, but had not won since
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
. The team was seeded into
Group A
Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles w ...
one of the tournament's original co-hosts and was joined by
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
, Uruguay,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
,
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
, and invitees
Australia until their withdrawal.
Argentina had been transitioning away from its 2010s "
golden generation" in favor of a younger core, which was reflected in manager
Lionel Scaloni's call-ups for La Albiceleste. The team remained led by captain
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
, along with veterans
Ángel Di María
Ángel Fabián Di María (born 14 February 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for club Juventus and the Argentina national team. He can play as either a winger or attacking midfielder.
Di María began his career with ...
and
Sergio Agüero
Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest player ...
, as the last three remaining members of the 2014 World Cup team that finished as runners-up to
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
.
La Albiceleste opened the group stage against Chile, earning a 1–1 draw. Lionel Messi scored a free kick to give Argentina the lead in the first half, but
Eduardo Vargas equalised in the second half by finishing a rebound shot after a penalty taken by
Arturo Vidal
Arturo Erasmo Vidal Pardo (; born 22 May 1987) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Flamengo and the Chile national team. His displays during his time at Juventus led him to be n ...
was saved. Argentina moved to the top of Group A by defeating Uruguay 1–0 with a header scored by
Guido Rodríguez off a cross from Messi. The team secured a berth in the knockout stage on the third matchday with a 1–0 victory against Paraguay;
Papu Gómez
Alejandro Darío Gómez (; born 15 February 1988), known as Papu Gómez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward, winger or attacking midfielder for Spanish club Sevilla and the Argentina national team.
Gómez started his ...
scored the lone goal of the match in the 10th minute, receiving a through ball from Di María while unmarked in the penalty area. In the final match of the group stage, against Bolivia, Argentina won 4–1 to take first place in Group A. Papu Gómez opened the scoring with a short volley from inside the penalty area in the 6th minute. Messi, who had assisted Gómez's goal, added a pair of his own with a converted penalty in the 33rd minute and chipping goalkeeper
Carlos Lampe from outside the box in the 42nd minute. Bolivia earned a consolation goal in the 60th minute through
Erwin Saavedra
Erwin Mario Saavedra Flores (born 22 February 1996) is a Bolivian professional footballer who plays for Mamelodi Sundowns in the DSTV Premiership and the Bolivia national team. Mainly a right midfielder, he can also play as a right-back.
Clu ...
, but Argentina restored their three-goal lead with a tap-in from
Lautaro Martínez
Lautaro Javier Martínez (born 22 August 1997) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Inter Milan and the Argentina national team.
Martínez began his football career in his native Argentina, where he made hi ...
five minutes later.
Argentina played
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...
, Group B's fourth-place finisher, in the quarter-finals to open the knockout stage.
Messi was involved in all three of Argentina's goals in their 3–0 victory, with assists for
Rodrigo De Paul in the 40th minute and Lautaro Martínez in the 84th minute before scoring a curling free kick of his own in stoppage time. The semi-final fixture against
Colombia began with an early goal for Martínez in the seventh minute, but finished 1–1 in regulation time after an equaliser from
Luis Díaz in the 61st minute. In the ensuing
penalty shoot-out
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
, Argentina goalkeeper
Emiliano Martínez
Damián Emiliano Martínez (born 2 September 1992) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Argentina national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers i ...
saved three shots to give the team a 3–2 win after five rounds. The match featured 10 yellow cards and 47 fouls, both setting records for the Copa América.
Brazil
Brazil had the third-most Copa América titles, at nine, and were defending their
2019 title. The team was drawn into
Group B
Group B was a set of regulations for grand touring (GT) vehicles used in sports car racing and rallying introduced in 1982 by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Although permitted to enter a GT class of the World Sportsc ...
alongside original co-hosts
Colombia,
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...
,
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...
,
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
, and invitees
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
until their withdrawal.
Manager
Tite called up a majority of the players used in
2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying for much of 2020 and 2021, led by captain
Thiago Silva
Thiago Emiliano da Silva (born 22 September 1984) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Chelsea and captains the Brazil national team. Considered one of the best defenders of his generation, he is known ...
and star forward
Neymar
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. A prolific goalscorer and renowned play ...
. Despite a rumoured boycott reported in several newspapers, the Brazil squad agreed to play in the tournament but criticised CONMEBOL for its organisation of the Copa América in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Seleção opened their title defense with a 3–0 victory against Venezuela, who had 15 emergency call-ups to replace players who had tested positive for COVID-19.
Marquinhos
Marcos Aoás Corrêa (born 14 May 1994), known as Marquinhos, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain, which he captains, and the Brazil national team. Mainly a centre-back, he can ...
scored in the 23rd minute to open the match and was followed by a penalty from Neymar in the 64th minute and a chested tap-in from
Gabriel Barbosa in the 89th minute. Brazil followed with a 4–0 win over Peru in their second match, including three goals in the second half, to earn an early berth in the knockout stage.
Alex Sandro
Alex Sandro Lobo da Silva (born 26 January 1991) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for club Juventus and the Brazil national team.
At club level, Alex Sandro began his career with Atletico Paranaense, and late ...
opened the scoring in the 12th minute and was followed by Neymar in the 68th minute,
Éverton Ribeiro
Éverton Augusto de Barros Ribeiro (born 10 April 1989) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Flamengo and the Brazil national team.
Formed at Corinthians, after a ...
in the 89th minute, and
Richarlison
Richarlison de Andrade (born 10 May 1997), known mononymously as Richarlison (), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Tottenham Hotspur and the Brazil national team.
He began his professional career with A ...
in stoppage time.
Colombia took an early lead against Brazil in their third match through a 10th-minute
bicycle kick
In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick, scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before ...
scored by Luis Díaz, but the Seleção earned a 2–1 comeback victory through headers from
Roberto Firmino
Roberto Firmino Barbosa de Oliveira (born 2 October 1991) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for club Liverpool and the Brazil national team.
After starting his career with Figueirense in ...
in the 78th minute and
Casemiro
Carlos Henrique Casimiro (born 23 February 1992), known as Casemiro, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Manchester United and the Brazil national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best ...
in the tenth minute of stoppage time. Firmino's equaliser was the subject of protests from Colombia due to the ball hitting the referee earlier in the sequence, but was ruled valid by the
video assistant referee
The video assistant referee (VAR) is a match official in association football who reviews decisions made by the referee.
The assistant video assistant referee (AVAR) is a current or former referee appointed to assist the VAR in the video ope ...
. Brazil's winning streak was ended at ten matches after a 1–1 draw with Ecuador to close out the group stage, finishing atop Group B while resting several starting players. A 37th-minute header from
Éder Militão
Éder Gabriel Militão (; born 18 January 1998) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for the La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazil national team. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a right-back or defensive midfielder.
Mili ...
, scoring his first international goal, gave Brazil a half-time lead, but substitute
Ángel Mena
Ángel Israel Mena Delgado (born 21 January 1988) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga MX club León and the Ecuador national team.
Club career Emelec
Mena had extended his contract until 2017 with Club S ...
equalised for Ecuador in the 53rd minute with a strike after a corner kick failed to be cleared.
Brazil were held to a scoreless first half in their quarter-finals fixture against Chile, but broke through with a 46th-minute strike from half-time substitute
Lucas Paquetá. Two minutes later, the team lost
Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Fernando de Jesus (born 3 April 1997) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Arsenal and the Brazil national team.
Jesus began his senior club career at Palmeiras, where he was voted Best Newcomer at t ...
to a red card after a high kick to the face of
Eugenio Mena
Eugenio Esteban Mena Reveco (; born 18 July 1988) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Argentine Primera División side Racing Club and the Chile national team.
Club career
Mena finished his formation in Santiago Wa ...
, but Brazil kept a
shutout
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
to win 1–0. The semi-final fixture against Peru marked a rematch from the group stage and the
2019 final for the Seleção. The match ended in a 1–0 victory for Brazil, with the lone goal scored by Paquetá in the 35th minute after Neymar dribbled past three defenders to provide an assist.
Match
Summary

The match began after a
minute of silence
A moment of silence (also referred to as a minute's silence or a one-minute silence) is a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture of ...
for victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Argentina leading in possession and early chances.
Brazilian midfielder
Fred
Fred may refer to:
People
* Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Mononym
* Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French
* Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...
received a
yellow card
Yellow card may refer to:
* Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas
* Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band
* Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative conc ...
in the third minute for a challenge on
Gonzalo Montiel, beginning a series of fouls from players on both teams.
Ángel Di María
Ángel Fabián Di María (born 14 February 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for club Juventus and the Argentina national team. He can play as either a winger or attacking midfielder.
Di María began his career with ...
opened the scoring for Argentina in the 22nd minute, receiving a long pass from
Rodrigo De Paul and beating defender
Renan Lodi to lob the ball over the advancing goalkeeper
Ederson.
Brazil responded with a series of attacks, including one that forced a save out of
Emiliano Martínez
Damián Emiliano Martínez (born 2 September 1992) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Argentina national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers i ...
, but lost possession to an Argentina counter-attack that ended in a missed shot from
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
after the half-hour mark. The first half ended with a 1–0 lead for Argentina.
Brazil manager
Tite replaced Fred with attacking midfielder
Roberto Firmino
Roberto Firmino Barbosa de Oliveira (born 2 October 1991) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for club Liverpool and the Brazil national team.
After starting his career with Figueirense in ...
to begin the second half in search of an equaliser.
Di María's attempt to extend Argentina's lead in the 50th minute was blocked and led to a Brazilian counterattack through
Neymar
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. A prolific goalscorer and renowned play ...
that was suppressed by a foul by
Giovani Lo Celso, who received a yellow card.
Richarlison
Richarlison de Andrade (born 10 May 1997), known mononymously as Richarlison (), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Tottenham Hotspur and the Brazil national team.
He began his professional career with A ...
appeared to have equalised for Brazil with a shot from inside the
penalty area
The penalty area or 18-yard box (also known less formally as the penalty box or simply box) is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends 16.5m (18 yd) to each side of the goal and 16.5m (18 yd) in front of it.
With ...
in the 52nd minute that was ruled offside; he followed up a minute later with another strike that was saved by Martínez.
Nicolás Otamendi was shown a yellow card in the 81st minute for a foul on Neymar, which triggered arguments and a shoving match between both sides.
After a pair of chances for Brazil that were repelled by Martínez, Argentina sprung on a counterattack in the 88th minute that ended with Messi stumbling while trying to dribble around Ederson.
The match ended in a 1–0 victory for Argentina, securing their first Copa América title since 1993.
Details
, style="width:60%;vertical-align:top",
Match rules
*90 minutes.
*30 minutes of
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only ...
if necessary.
*
Penalty shoot-out
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
if scores still level.
*Maximum of twelve named substitutes.
*Maximum of five substitutions, with a sixth allowed in extra time.
Statistics
Post-match
Argentina won their 15th Copa América, tying Uruguay for the all-time record in the tournament, after finishing as runners-up in four editions since their last title in
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
.
It was also the first senior international trophy won by Lionel Messi, who had led Argentina to three Copa América finals and the
2014 FIFA World Cup Final, also played at the Maracanã.
Di María was named the
man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
, while Messi was named the best player of the tournament and shared the top goalscorer award with Luis Díaz of Colombia. Martínez was named the tournament's best goalkeeper.
With the match's result, Argentina continued its unbeaten streak, which reached 20 matches, while Brazil had their first competitive defeat since 2018. After the match, manager Tite criticised the organisation of the Copa América and described the final as "stop-start" with "anti-football" preventing Brazil from playing well.
Notes
References
External links
Copa América 2021on CONMEBOL.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:2021 Copa America Final
2021 Copa América
Copa América finals
Copa America Final
Copa America Final, 2021
2021 in South American football
Argentina national football team matches
Brazil national football team matches
Argentina–Brazil football rivalry at Copa América