Controversial Copa America Final: Chile's Victory and Lionel Messi's Farewell

The final match of the Copa America took place between the national teams of Chile and Argentina, and after a draw in regular and extra time, the Chileans won in a penalty shootout. In the penalty shootout, both teams missed their first shots: Arturo Vidal for Chile and Lionel Messi for Argentina. Vidal's shot was saved by Sergio Romero, while Messi's went wide. This edition of the tournament marked the 100th anniversary of Copa America and was referred to as 'Centenario Cien' instead of Copa 2016. In the following penalties, the Chileans did not miss, while Lucas Biglia, the Lazio defensive midfielder, also failed to score, similar to Captain Messi. Thus, Chile, which had never been champion until last year, achieved two championship titles in two years through penalty shootouts. For Chile's 4-2 victory over Argentina, Castillo, Aranguiz, Jean, and Silva successfully converted their penalties for La Roja (Chile's national team). On the other side, only Mascherano and Sergio Aguero managed to break Claudio Bravo's goal from the penalty spot. The most controversial figure on the field was Brazilian referee Heber Lopes. He sent off Marcelo Diaz from Chile in the sixteenth minute, which provoked a strong reaction from the Chilean players. Lopes, who seemed to be trying to balance the number of players, issued a yellow card to Messi in the fortieth minute. Although he did not intend to do so, the intense protests from the Chilean players led him to go to Messi and give him a card. Three minutes later, Marcos Rojo was sent off harshly without committing a specific foul, leading both teams to have ten players. Lopes frequently reprimanded players and made decisions rarely seen from referees. He also ignored much more severe fouls from both teams in the second half and extra time! Better game management by the referee in the first half could have led to a much more beautiful final, but Lopes' presence in the game was very noticeable, leading to trolls about him and his officiating on social media. Bravo was named the best goalkeeper, and Alexis Sanchez was named the best player of the tournament. Eduardo Vargas from Chile topped the scoring chart with six goals. The announcement of Messi's retirement from the national team was another consequence of the centennial final, which immediately drew reactions from football figures worldwide and the people of Argentina. He stated that he had tried his best but still could not achieve the cup. Argentinians want to change their 29-year-old captain's mind by gathering at the airport to welcome the national team, hoping Messi will stay and break the Copa championship curse. The Albiceleste last won the championship in 1993. Sergio Aguero expressed support for Messi, stating that he would not be the only player to retire from the national team. He and several other players also intend to step down. Everyone is angry. This is the worst moment I have seen in the national team. Chile's coach Juan Antonio Pizzi praised his players after their victory, even those who had little opportunity to play. We achieved victory by defeating the best team in the world. Argentina's coach Gerardo Martino also said: Losing again in the final is a heavy sadness. Argentina should have won the final; we were the better team for 90 minutes. Now we have to think about the World Cup 2018 qualifiers.