Copa America 2019: Brazil 2-0 Argentina - 3 reasons why Argentina lost the match

Argentina's quest for a first major international trophy in 28 years is over, having suffered a heartbreaking 2-0 defeat to Brazil in their semifinal fixture in Belo Horizonte.

The Albiceleste had got to this stage off the back of a 2-0 victory over Venezuela in the last round while Brazil needed penalties to see off Paraguay at the same stage.

Argentina's improved performance in their quarterfinal victory would have raised expectation levels heading into this match, but ultimately the hosts proved a step too high to climb as goals from Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino ensured Brazil remain unbeaten against Argentina on home soil.

In this piece, we shall be highlighting three factors that contributed to Argentina's 2-0 defeat to Brazil.

#3 Brazil took their chances

Brazil came out of the blocks flying in a bid to stamp their authority early on in the match and this approach paid dividends as they went ahead in only the 19th minute through a well-taken goal by Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus.

From then on, Tite's men seemed content to sit behind the ball and protect their lead, inviting Argentina to come at them in a bid to get an equalizer and sought to take advantage of the spaces left behind with counter-attacks.

As it turned out, this was a brilliant gameplan by the hosts, as their second goal came off a brilliant counter-attack which was started by Gabriel Jesus in his own half and finished by Roberto Firmino in the back of Franco Armani's net.

In total, Brazil fashioned just four shots for the entirety of the match of which three were on target and two hit the back of the net. This went in contrast with their opponents who fired fourteen shots at the Brazilian goal, only drawing two saves with none getting past Alisson.

Goals win matches and ultimately you need to convert your chances to triumph. Brazil did just that and have a place in the final as a result.

#2 They were somewhat unlucky

For the entirety of the group stage, Argentina had the feel of a highly unbalanced team who had yet to get to grips with one another and this was largely a function of the imbalance that has rocked their nation's football in recent years.

Their head coach was only appointed late last year and most of the players in the current squad had not played with one another in a major competition prior to this one.

They, however, rose above all that to put in a fine team display against Venezuela in the quarterfinal and they built on that with another impressive performance against Brazil.

There was team coordination and more importantly, Lionel Messi who had been peripheral in the tournament till this point stepped up and gave his best display of the competition.

For large parts of the match, Argentina were on the front foot with Brazil electing to sit back and soak up the pressure. Los Albiceleste sought to take advantage of Brazil's laid back approach but ultimately failed to do so.

It was not for lack of trying though, as they managed fourteen shots at the Brazilian goal, with two of those painfully coming off the crossbar. Had either of those gone in, Brazil would have found themselves rattled which would have played to Argentina's advantage but ultimately they were denied by a matter of inches.

Tight matches like this one are most times decided by small margins and elements of luck and even the most pragmatic of persons would agree that sometimes, forces beyond our control come to our aid in harrowing situations and while Argentina might have done all within their power to get the victory, they lost the game by small margins.

#1 Overall, Brazil won the key battles and had more team balance

While Argentina can genuinely claim to have been the better side over the duration of the 90 minutes, this was a function of their host's gameplan, as Brazil had an edge in teamwork and won most of the key battles.

The former point is largely due to the length of time this team has been together, as since taking over the job following Dunga's departure in the summer of 2016, Brazilian head coach Tite has molded this team in his image and while they might have disappointed at the last World Cup, the positive sides of his work are evident for all to see.

Even new arrivals to the squad such as Everton, Arthur, and Richarlison have settled in seamlessly and despite their improved displays in their last two matches, Argentina still lacked the chemistry and bonding to match that which is present in this Brazil squad.

When Brazil needed to come out and attack, they did so and got the goal they needed while they also showed great tactical discipline and teamwork to maintain their balance and shape after going ahead to ensure they caught Argentina out on the counter.

Beyond their evident teamwork and understanding, Brazil also won the key battles on the field, with the evergreen Dani Alves putting in a wonderful shift to contain Marcos Acuna and Angel di Maria, while Lautaro Martinez and Sergio Aguero were largely silenced by the PSG pairing of Marquinhos and Thiago Silva.

In midfield, the hugely impressive Leandro Paredes' impact was limited by Casemiro and while Juan Foyth effectively contained the threat of Everton Soares. Overall, Brazil won more key battles than their opponents and this played a huge role in their victory.