HOUSTON — Led by a brilliant Lionel Messi, Argentina outplayed and outclassed the U.S. from the very start and came away with a 4-0 victory in the semifinals of the Copa América Centenario on Tuesday.
The outcome of the game wasn’t in doubt after Argentina’s Ezequiel Lavezzi scored a third-minute goal past a hesitating Brad Guzan. Argentina dominated possession and deployed pressure defense to win the ball back almost instantly from a U.S. team that looked overawed by the occasion and the opponent.
The other Argentine goals came courtesy of Messi (on an outrageous free kick) and Gonzalo Higuaín (two second-half strikes).