Lionel Messi and Argentina edged closer to defending their Copa America title with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chile on Tuesday night. Lautaro Martínez emerged as the hero, scoring the winning goal on a rebound in the 88th minute.

The match, played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was a tale of dominance by Argentina. Messi, celebrating his 37th birthday a day prior, orchestrated numerous attacks, keeping the Chilean defense on its toes.Argentina peppered the goal with shots (21-3) and corner kicks (11-0), with Messi himself nearly finding the net with a shot that grazed the post.

Chile, however, proved resilient, holding firm until the late drаmа. Bravo, Chile’s goalkeeper and the oldest player in Copa America history at 41, made several key saves, including one on another Messi pass in the 62nd minute.

With the clock ticking down, Argentina finally broke through. A Messi corner kιck was blocked by Bravo, but Martínez pounced on the rebound to secure the win. The goal was confirmed by VAR after a tense three-minute wait.

This victory propels Argentina to the top of Group A with six points. They’ll conclude the group stage against Peru on Saturday before heading to the quarterfinals. For Chile, the path forward gets tougher. They sit in third with one point and face Canada in their final group match.

The electric atmosphere at MetLife Stadium added another layer to the drаmа. The crowd, overwhelmingly clad in Argentina jerseys (most bearing Messi’s nаme), roared their support throughout the match.It was a fitting stage for a drаmаtic encounter, played on the 46th anniversary of Argentina’s first World Cup title win at the very same stadium. While the 2016 Copa America final heartbreak against Chile wasn’t forgotten, this time Argentina emerged victorious.