La Finalissima, Messi shines as Argentina beat Italy: Records broken
What's the story
Lionel Messi assisted twice as Argentina thrashed Italy in La Finalissima at the Wembley Stadium. The match is a renewal of the contest between the champions of Europe and South America. Italy were the Euro 2020 winners as Argentina had won the Copa America. Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria, and Paulo Dybala scored for Argentina in their 3-0 win. Here are the records broken.
Match
Argentina thrash sorry Italy at Wembley
Messi did really well for the opener, running and providing a cross for Inter Milan forward Martinez, who made no mistake. Martinez then turned the provider with Juventus bound Di Maria getting his side's second with a chip. Late on in the game, substitute Dybala scored from Messi's assist. Argentina had 10 shots on target against Italy. They also dominated possession (56%).
Context
Why does this story matter?
This one-off match is the first between the two continental champions in 29 years. As per the BBC, it is a revival of the Artemio Franchi Cup, which was played twice before. France beat Uruguay in 1985 and Argentina downed Denmark on penalties in 1993. Ahead of the Qatar World Cup this year, Argentina showed why they are a force to be reckoned with.
Chiellini
Chiellini finishes with fourth-most appearances for Italy
After leaving Juventus, veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini played his final game for Italy. He finished with the fourth-most appearances (117, level with Daniele Rossi) in the history of Italian football team. The likes of Gianluigi Buffon (176), Fabio Cannavaro (136), and Paolo Maldini (126) are the only players with more appearances for the Azzurri.
Argentina
Longest unbeaten run in Argentina's history
Argentina are now unbeaten in 32 games. As per Squawka, this is the longest unbeaten streak in Argentina's history. Notably, they have also not fallen behind in any of their last 22 matches. Defender Christian Romero has kept a clean sheet in each of his last nine games for Argentina. Argentina have conceded only two goals with Romero on the pitch.
Messi
Crucial stats for Messi
Messi secured his second major trophy with Argentina after having won the Copa America earlier. He is level with Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of international trophies (2). This was Messi's second career final at Wembley after the 2010-11 Champions League. Messi has scored one goal, assisted two, besides lifting two trophies, and being named Man of the Match in both games.