Lionel Messi's Argentina achieved its first title after 28 years against Brazil and did so at Maracana, the temple of South American football, by beating it 1-0 in the final of the CONMEBOL Copa América.
So round was the night for Messi that the Albiceleste were crowned at the Maracana, in the best possible place for the host's archrival.
Angel Di María, author of a goal at minute 22, along with a tireless warrior like Rodrigo De Paul, were the heroes of the Rio night, which left Argentina in the lead of the historic record with 15 CONMEBOL Copa América titles together with Uruguay , while Brazil was in 9 coronations.
"We dream so much about this day. Today it broke (the bad streak) and it came in. We had to win it (the Cup) here and it happened like that," said 'Fideo' Di María, one of the Albiceleste's historic players.
When the Uruguayan referee Esteban Ostojich whistled the end of the match and Messi dropped to his knees in the Maracana, thousands of people took to the streets of downtown Buenos Aires and Rosario, the hometown of the 'Pulga', by Di Maria and Giovanni Lo Celso.
-Numbers left by the party-
Argentina won its first title on Brazilian soil. In addition, he returned to win a title after 28 years of drought. Brazil, meanwhile, lost their first final after five consecutive victories.
Tite lost his first home game as coach of Brazil after 25 games (21W 3E 1D).
It is the first CONMEBOL Copa América played in Brazil that the local team has not won the title (it had won the previous five).
Argentina beat Brazil for CONMEBOL Copa América on Brazilian soil for the first time in its history: they had not won in the seven previous matches (1E 6D).
Argentina snapped a losing streak of six consecutive finals in senior tournaments (Copa América 2004, 2007, 2015, 2016; Confederations Cup 2005 and World Cup 2014).
Argentina equals Uruguay as the top winner of the CONMEBOL Copa América: it added its 15th title, stretching the lead to six with Brazil.
It is the fourth time in 13 games that Argentina has managed to win at the Maracana visiting Brazil (4V 2E 7D). The previous triumph had been in a friendly played in 1998.
Argentina's victory ended Brazil's 26-match undefeated playing CONMEBOL Copa América at home (17V 9E). It is Brazil's third defeat at home in the competition: against Paraguay (1-2, in 1949) and against Peru (1-3, in 1975).
Lionel Scaloni reached 20 games undefeated as Argentina's coach (12V 8E). It is the second longest record without falls of a DT of the Argentine team.
Messi closes his participation in the CONMEBOL Copa América as the top assist (5 assists) and top scorer (along with Luis Díaz from Colombia) with four goals. In addition, he has 13 goals in the history of the tournament and is four behind Zizinho and Norberto Méndez, the top all-time scorers in the competition.
Lionel Messi won his first title with Argentina after four consecutive lost finals (2007, 2014, 2015, 2016).
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