Copa America 2019: Argentina 2-1 Chile - 3 talking points

Having seen their dreams of a third consecutive Copa America final dashed at the semifinal stage, Argentina and Chile battled it out for third place.

The Albiceleste came into the match having fallen to a 2-0 defeat to Brazil in the semifinal, while Chile surprisingly lost to the surprise package of the tournament Peru by a 3-0 scoreline.

Both teams undoubtedly had their minds set on a final appearance and would have been disappointed at not contesting for the trophy. Hence it would have been understandable if this third place playoff match was treated as nothing more than a dead rubber fixture.

However that proved to not be the case as both sides went all out in a bid to finish their tournament on a high.

Goals from Sergio Aguero and Paulo Dybala were enough to give Argentina the victory, with Arturo Vidal's second half penalty proving to be nothing more than a mere consolation. In this piece, we shall be highlighting three talking points from the Copa America third place playoff between Argentina and Chile.

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#3 Lionel Messi red card caps off disappointing tournament

Lionel Messi was disappointing in the competition

Lionel Messi came into this tournament desperate to right the anomaly of him having never won a major trophy with his national team except in Copa San Juan.

The 32-year-old ended the 2018/2019 campaign with 51 goals from 50 matches for Barcelona and it was expected that he would bring this terrific form with him onto the international stage and captain his nation to glory in Brazil.

However that proved to not be the case, as the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was largely a spectator when Argentina crawled their way through the group stage and quarterfinal.

In the semifinal game against Brazil, Lionel Messi gave an improved performance but that was not enough as his side fell to a 2-0 defeat to the hosts.

The fixture was littered with numerous flash points, with Argentine players and football association vilified at some perceived refereeing errors and the lack of consultation with VAR.

Lionel Messi gave a heated statement to the press after the match and the Argentina FA has lodged a complaint. The Argentine record goalscorer was still evidently nursing grievances over his side's elimination, as he let tempers flare with just under 45 minutes gone in the clash against Chile

A seemingly innocuous challenge boiled over as the notoriously ill tempered Gary Medel repeatedly provoked the Argentine captain. Messi shoved him to the floor and the Chilean defender retaliated.

This was Messi's first international dismissal in 14 years and there was belief that Messi's dismissal might be reversed upon VAR review but the decision stood to the disappointment of Messi.

While Argentina might have good cause to believe they were on the receiving end of poor refereeing decisions, Lionel Messi would have an introspective look at his displays and be the first to admit that he performed well beneath his standards.

With just one goal (gotten from the penalty spot) and one assist from six matches, Lionel Messi was extremely poor and moving forward. This is one tournament which the legend would not look back on fondly.

#2 Sanchez pulls up with suspected hamstring injury

Sanchez had a hamstring injury

Alexis Sanchez has been nothing short of disappointing since making his highly publicized transfer to Manchester United in January 2018. He has scored just five goals from 45 matches in all competitions since arriving at Old Trafford

However, the 30-year-old put his disastrous club form behind him as he played a leading role in helping Chile come all the way in the Copa America.

The former Arsenal man has put up numerous match winning displays, scoring two goals and registering one assist. He also netted the decisive quarterfinal penalty to help La Roja make it all the way to the semifinal.

So far his performances have seen him installed as one of the favorites to win the Copa America Golden Ball.

He would have been looking to build on his strong performances at the Copa America and stake a claim for a spot in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans.

However those plans have been scuppered, as Alexis Sanchez pulled up with what appeared to be a muscular injury just 17 minutes into the fixture with Argentina and had to be replaced.

His injury comes as a big blow and the Chilean record goalscorer would be hoping for a quick recovery to have a shot at reviving his Manchester United career.

#1 Both teams played out a tempestuous fixture

There were 39 fouls committed in the match

Given the physical nature of South American football and recent history between Argentina and Chile, a clash between both nations was not going to be for the faint hearted.

However, both sets of players took the physicality to another dimension. For most of the match, the fixture took on the form of a battle field with crunching tackles flying in and the referee having a hard time keeping the match in check.

There were a total of 39 fouls at full time, with Argentina committing 21 fouls to Chile's 18. Given the furious nature of the match, it was a given that a red card would be issued and that proved to be the case when Lionel Messi and Gary Medel were shown their marching orders with just 37 minutes gone.

It was just the second time in the last six editions of the Copa America that two red cards would be shown in the first half with the previous time also coming when Argentina and Chile faced off in the 2016 final.

Another by product of physical football matches is the concession of penalties and this fixture also witnessed one. Giovani Lo Celso was penalized for tripping Charles Aranguiz in the penalty box and Arturo Vidal converted the resultant spotkick.

In total, Mario Diaz de Vivar issued nine cards on the night as both sides rounded up their 2019 Copa America participation on a very physical note.