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More than just another trophy

SANTIAGO — The South American title will not be the only thing at stake when Argentina and Chile meet in the Copa America final on Saturday (Sunday morning, Singapore time).

Argentina’s Lionel Messi (centre) running with the ball through the Paraguay defence during the Copa America semi-final match. Photo: AP

Argentina’s Lionel Messi (centre) running with the ball through the Paraguay defence during the Copa America semi-final match. Photo: AP

SANTIAGO — The South American title will not be the only thing at stake when Argentina and Chile meet in the Copa America final on Saturday (Sunday morning, Singapore time).

The regional rivals have a chance to put years of disappointment behind them with a victory at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago.

Hosts Chile have never won the continental title, while Argentina have gone 22 years without lifting a major trophy.

The winners will celebrate a historic achievement. The losers will be left wondering how much longer the title drought will last.

Victory would also be extra special for Lionel Messi, who has thrived with Barcelona for years, but is yet to give his national team much reason to celebrate.

If Messi can finally lead his nation to the title, he will be silencing many of the critics who say that he has never played as well with the national team as he does with his club.

Argentina have not won a significant trophy since the 1993 Copa America, when Messi was only six years old.

Since then, they failed to succeed in seven Copa Americas and six World Cups, with Messi playing in five of those tournaments.

The playmaker helped Argentina’s under-23 side to win the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, but he still has nothing to show for when it comes to the senior squad.

Argentina came close to breaking through for a major title when it reached the World Cup final in Brazil last year, but lost 1-0 to Germany in extra time.

They had been eliminated in the quarter-finals both in 2006 and 2010. The Argentines lost consecutive Copa America finals to Brazil in 2004 and 2007. In the 2011 tournament at home, Argentina did not make it past the quarter-finals.

Argentina’s defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano said: “We are stubborn. We keep trying to win one of these championships. Hopefully, it will finally happen on Saturday.”

If it does happen, Argentina will win their 15th Copa America title, matching neighbours Uruguay as the tournament’s most successful nation.

Argentina, who could be without centre-back Ezequiel Garay who has been nursing a stomach illness, will be brimming with confidence after trouncing Paraguay 6-1 in the semi-finals, when Messi did not score but helped set up five goals, a performance reminiscent of the ones he constantly pulls off with Barcelona.

For Chile, hosting this Copa America has given them the best chance yet to break through for a major championship, and a runner-up finish will be no compensation.

“For a lot of people, it would be enough to have reached the final,” said Claudio Bravo, the Barcelona goalkeeper who is the national team’s most experienced player with nearly 100 caps. “What could be better than winning the Copa America playing at home?”

Chile have one of their best generations of players. Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli is leading a team that includes Juventus team-mates Arturo Vidal and Mauricio Isla, Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez, Napoli striker Eduardo Vargas, Inter Milan defensive midfielder Gary Me del, Fiorentina attacking midfielder Matias Fernandez and Palmeiras playmaker Jorge Valdivia.

Chile reached the round of 16 of last year’s World Cup but was eliminated by host Brazil on penalties.

They are playing in their first Copa America final in 28 years. The Chileans finished runner-up four times, including at home in 1955.

“We are committed to reaching the next level,” said Chile defender Eugenio Mena. “We want to win this tournament once and for all.”

Chile have the tournament’s best offence with 13 goals in five matches. The defence has not been as perfect, having conceded five goals, and will need to improve to keep out Argentina’s array of scoring options.

But the host’s passage to the final has not been an entirely smooth affair. Early in the tournament, Vidal was arrested for drink-driving and crashing his car a day after one of the group matches. However, Sampaoli had opted to allow him to stay with the squad.

Chile then lost their defender Gonzalo Jara for the rest of the tournament after being retrospectively banned for three matches for getting Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani sent off in their ill-tempered 1-0 quarter-final win in Santiago.

Television replays showed Jara poking Cavani’s rear with his finger, which provoked a reaction from the Paris St Germain star and a theatrical response from the Chilean.

Since then, Jara’s German Bundesliga club Mainz have said that they will offload him as they cannot tolerate his actions.

Despite all that, Bravo insists Chile will face Argentina as equals.

“We are not afraid,” Bravo said. “The word ‘fear’ hasn’t been spoken by any of my team-mates. This is something only (the media) is talking about.” AP

Probable line-ups:CHILE (4-3-1-2): Claudio Bravo; Jose Rojas, Gary Medel, Miiko Albornoz, Mauricio Isla; Marcelo Diaz, Arturo Vidal, Charles Aranguiz, Jorge Valdivia; Alexis Sanchez, Eduardo Vargas.

ARGENTINA (4-3-3): Sergio Romero; Martin Demichelis, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Rojo, Pablo Zabaleta; Javier Mascherano, Lucas Biglia, Javier Pastore, Angel di Maria; Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero.

Referee: Wilmar Roldan (Colombia)

Venue: Estadio Nacional, Santiago

TV Times: “Live” on StarHub TV Ch 202 on Sunday, 4am (Singapore time)

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