Messi sees red as Argentina finish third
Lionel Messi received a controversial red card as Argentina ground out a 2-1 win against Chile to finish third at the 2019 Copa America after a tempestuous and entertaining encounter in Sao Paulo.
Argentina put their semi-final disappointment behind them as they beat Chile 2-1 on Saturday evening to take third at the Copa America.
Hours after England Women's manager Phil Neville described third-place play-offs as "nonsense games", Argentina and Chile set about proving him wrong as they contested a thrilling first-half in Sao Paulo.
'La Albiceleste' took the lead early on, with captain Messi heavily involved in the opener. Argentina's number 10 displayed excellent awareness as he took a free-kick he won himself in midfield quickly, sliding through an inch-perfect pass for Sergio Agüero to run onto. The Manchester City striker latched onto the through ball, rounded goalkeeper Gabriel Arias and slotted home from a tight angle on the right.
Dybala then nearly doubled his tally with what would have been one of the goals of the tournament, firing wide an acrobatic effort after another pinpoint Messi pass.
This would prove to be one of the Barcelona forward's final contributions as the plot took an unexpected twist just minutes later. After Gary Medel shielded a ball out for a goal kick, Messi seemed to give him a light push in the back. The former Cardiff defender reacted angrily, squaring up to Messi and making a rather aggressive motion towards the Argentina star with his his head.