Most goals scored in a Copa America match

Srihari
argentina 1945
Argentina Football Team – 1945

Copa America celebrates it's 100th anniversary in the latest and special edition of the tournament, which takes places in USA. Throughout the tournament's illustrious history, there have been plenty of memorable games, teams and records that have been created.

While some warrant to be quickly forgotten, others, like the biggest wins deserve to be celebrated. So what was the maximum amount of goals scored in a Copa America game? Who holds the record for the biggest winning margin and do the usual suspects dominate the list?

Let us take a look at the most goals scored in a Copa America match:


5. 10 goals in a game (achieved four times)

In Copa America history the double-digit mark was breach eight times and four of those times was when a game finished with 10 goals in a game. All four games involve Argentina and Brazil, who were involved in a 10-goal game twice each.

The first time it occurred was in 1937 when Brazil beat Chile 6-4. Brazil raced to a two-goal lead before Chile equalised but Brazil scored three more goals in the next 15 minutes to all but kill the game and although Chile managed two more goals, it wasn't enough as they still lost the game.

The second time was in 1945 when Argentina beat Colombia 9-1. It was the same scoreline again four years later as Brazil beat Ecuador. The last time it happened was in 1957 when Argentina beat the hapless Colombians again, this time, 8-2.

4. Brazil 9-2 Ecuador

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1945's Copa America: Most famous Brazilian offensive line, with Tesourinha, Zizinho (highest scorer of all time with 17), Heleno, Jair and Ademir (Image courtesy: conmebol.com)
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Sometimes, the performance of your rivals help you raise your own standards and that is exactly what happened in the group stage of Copa America 1945. On February 7, 1945, Argentina beat Colombia 9-1 while Brazil only beat Uruguay 3-0 on the same day.

However, on February 21, there was only one winner as Brazil thrashed Ecuador 9-2 while Bolivia and Colombia took part in an entertaining 3-3 draw. By the 40th minute, Brazil had already scored five goals and it looked as though they were on course for a double-digit victory.

Ecuador made the game interesting by scoring two goals either side of half-time. But that merely forced the Selecao to pick up the pace and they did so in style as they scored three goals in four minutes just after the hour mark and the game eventually finished Ademir completing his hat-trick and sealing a 9-2 victory.

3. Brazil 10-1 Bolivia

zizinho
Zizinho (right) scored a brace in the match

Copa America 1949 is one that Brazilian fans are unlikely to forget any time soon. Not only did they win the tournament for the third time but they did so in some style. They managed the most goals by any team in a tournament, a record that is unlikely to be beaten anytime soon and did so in the edition that had the most goals in the tournament's history.

In their first game of the tournament, Brazil declared their intentions by thrashing Ecuador 9-1. A week later, they went one better by beating Bolivia 10-1. All the players who missed out in the opening game got their fill against La Verde.

Nininho, who didn't score a goal in the first game, grabbed a hat-trick and Zizinho, who got just a solitary in the opener, grabbed a brace while Claudio and Simao also scored a pair while Jair Rosa Pinto scored one, on his way to the tournament's top-scorer award.

2. Argentina 11-0 Venezuela

mario kempes
Mario Kempes grabbed a brace in the match

In the opening game of Copa America 1975, Argentina beat Venezuela by a paltry 5-1 margin. But they fared much better in the second game against the same opponents as they more than doubled their score and smashed them 11-0.

Daniel Killer might have been a defender by trade but against Venezuela, he was their most successful striker as he scored a hat-trick, which also happened to be his only international goals in his career. Mario Kempes and Mario Zanabria both grabbed a brace while Gallego, Ardiles, Boveda and Luque all got one each. But it was all in vain.

Unfortunately for La Albiceleste, they failure to win their next two games meant that they failed to go beyond the group. Eventually, Peru managed to win the tournament despite scoring fewer goals than Argentina managed in their four group games.

1. Argentina 12-0 Ecuador

jose manuel moreno
Jose Manuel Moreno

The 1942 Copa America is still remembered for a number of reasons. It was the first time in the tournament's history that seven teams took part in the tournament. It was also remembered for the fact that Bolivia and Colombia withdrew from the tournament.

Argentina remember it for a completely different reason. The game between Argentina and Ecuador was the one in which the 500-goal mark was achieved in Copa America by Jose Manuel Moreno. Argentina went on to win the game 12-0 with Moreno scoring five goals, which are both records as no player has scored more goals in a game nor has a team managed that feat.

Courtesy of his five-goal heroic, Moreno finished as the joint-top scorer in the tournament with teammate Herminio Masantonio as both finished with seven goals.

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Edited by Staff Editor