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#3 Lionel Messi becomes Argentina's most-capped player
Lionel Messi was a joy to watch against Bolivia as he marked his landmark 148th appearance for Argentina with two goals and an assist. He has now overtaken Javier Mascherano's tally of 147 matches for the national team.
The way his team have been playing, it is possible that Messi will make his 150th appearance for the national team as well at the 2021 Copa America. The Barcelona forward, who recently turned 34, is already his nation's leading goalscorer with 75 goals. Messi is 21 ahead of Gabriel Batistuta in second place.
#2 Two Argentina players at the top of the goalscoring charts in Copa America
Lionel Messi and Alejandro Gomez combined for Argentina's first two goals. Messi produced a remarkable assist in the sixth minute for Gomez's opener, while Gomez drew the foul for a 33rd-minute penalty which Messi converted.
With this, both players moved up the goal-scoring charts in the competition and currently occupy the top two positions. Messi is the clear-cut leader with three goals while Gomez is joint-second with two goals alongside Neymar, Edinson Cavani and a few others.
Messi also leads the assist charts at the moment, alongside Neymar, helping create two goals for his teammates. This just goes to show that, while Messi has been great for Argentina, some of his teammates are also stepping up at the 2021 Copa America.
#1 Argentina's path to the semi-finals is an easy one with a game against Ecuador in the last eight
Argentina have drawn Ecuador in their quarter-final fixture having topped Group A with 10 points. Thanks to their brilliant run in the group stage, they have been able to get a draw against a side that is yet to record a win in the competition.
Ecuador have scored a commendable five goals in four games so far. However, with six goals conceded, they have the second-worst defensive record of the eight teams that have qualified for the quarter-finals. Only Peru are worse off, having conceded seven goals, four of which came in one game against Brazil.
Argentina were unbeaten in the group stage, conceding just twice, while Ecuador lost once and played three stalemates to barely make it into the next round. The matchup is a kind one for the Albiceleste, who are the favorites against La Tri and should be able to secure a place in the semi-finals with a win on Saturday.
Also See: The 10 highest-paid goalkeepers in the world
