There’s the whistle and Argentina’s 28-year title drought is over! The Albiceleste wins 1-0 over Brazil to capture their 15th Copa América title, moving level with Uruguay for the most ever!
Messi is on his knees and his Argentina team-mates surround him by the touchline as a chorus of boos cascade down from the Maracanã stands!
On the other side of the pitch, Brazil players console tearful Neymar.
Lionel Messi reacts after the final whistle. Photograph: André Penner/AP
90 min+3: Firmino is called for a hand ball about 35 yards from Brazil’s goal. Emiliano Martinez takes his good old time setting up the restart. Moments later Ederson makes a fully extended save to deny Argentina.
87 min: Vinicius Junior wins a free kick for Brazil from a dangerous area toward the side of the area. Neymar whips it in and it’s blocked away. Emiliano Martínez saves Gabigol’s second-chance attempt!
84 min: Brazil wins a corner after Barbosa close-range chance off a through ball finds the outside netting, but Danilo sends Neymar’s service well over the crossbar.
81 min: Otamendi is shown yellow after vicious tackle of Neymar in the midfield. The players on both sides come together but the flare-up is extinguished and play resumes. High tempers and higher drama in the final reel.
79 min: Argentina counters with three substitutions: Germán Pezzella for Cristian Romero, Exequiel Palacios for the goalscorer Ángel Di María; and Nicolás González for Lautaro Martínez.
75 min: Di Maria takes on his defender 1v1 and sails a cross into the box, but a defender heads it clear. The tension continues to build as the seconds tick away.
69 min: Brazil win a free kick but nothing comes from it. Moments later, De Paul is shown yellow after he brings down a hard-charging Neymar. The drama builds at the Maracanã.
63 min: Two substitutions in the 63rd minute. Argentina’s Nicolás Tagliafico is on for Giovani Lo Celso. For Brazil, Vinicius Junior enters in place of Everton.
56 min: A dangerous chance for Brazil as Neymar has a go from the middle of the area while Argentina players surround him. He goes down in a heap ... and the decision from the referee is an offside ruling to the dismay of the hosts.
54 min: A fast and furious sequence over the past few minutes! Brazil appears to equalize through Richarlison, but the goal is correctly disallowed by VAR. Argentina makes a substitution and inserts Guido Rodriguez for Paredes. Then Richarlison nearly scores again, this time from an onside position, but Emiliano Martinez pushes the shot aside.
50 min: Messi darts into the area and slides it to Di Maria, whose shot is blocked. Brazil is on the counter in the blink of an eye, but Neymar is brought down by Lo Celso, who gets a yellow for his efforts.
46 min: And we’re under way in the second half. One change to note: Roberto Firmino, who was taken off for Lucas Paqueta at half-time of Brazil’s quarter-final win over Chile, is on for Fred, who picked up a yellow card way back in the third minute. He is slotted into the Brazil middle three playing further up in more of an attacking position.
Well, well, well. Argentina is halfway home to ending their 28-year trophy hoodoo after Ángel Di María’s gorgeous 22nd-minute goal. That it came despite a quiet half from Lionel Messi only unnerves Brazil fans more.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi is looking for his first trophy at the senior level. Photograph: Ricardo Moraes/Reuters
43 min: Brazil wins its first corner of the night but it’s cleared from danger. What a stout performance from the Argentina trio of De Paul, Paredes and Lo Celso, who thoroughly boss Brazil’s midfield from the jump and deny them time and space to operate.
37 min: Di Maria is down with an ankle injury near the goal line. The referee briefly stops play, but the match resumes shortly after and Argentina continues with 10 men as the medical staff evaluates the goalscorer’s fitness.
34 min: Brazil are right back into the attack only moments after Messi’s misses shot and Neymar wins a free kick about 30 yards from the goal. Neymar’s attempt goes directly into the wall, however.
32 min: Argentina misplays a ball out of the back but Brazil can’t capitalize and they surrender possession almost immediately. A quick counter-attack follows and Messi fires in an off-balance shot from just outside the area that skids wide of the goal.
29 min: Di Maria runs directly at Fred (who’s on a yellow) down the right flank. The PSG midfielder has a go from distance and it’s blocked, only to pinball before a Brazil defender can clear it.
22 min: And Argentina is ahead! A long direct pass from Rodrigo De Paul is badly misplayed by Renan Lodi and lands on the foot of 33-year-old Angel Di Maria, who lifts it up over a helpless Ederson and into the back of the goal. What a start for the Albiceleste!
Argentina’s Angel Di Maria celebrates his first-half goal against Brazil. Photograph: Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images
20 min: Brazil generates a couple of half-chances in the past three minutes, both times bypassing the midfield in search of a quick strike. Then Neymar is brought down right outside the area for what appears to be a free kick for Brazil from about 22 yards, but Argentina is bailed out by an offside call.
16 min: Neymar is cut down by Paredes while in attack. A tactical foul but yet another sign of the rugged physicality on display up and down the pitch. There are only 8,000 spectators but it sounds like a whole lot more.
Neymar has a go in the early stages of Saturday’s final. Photograph: Buda Mendes/Getty Images
14 min: Otamendi catches Lucas Paqueta during a Brazil attack down the center of the pitch, giving the hosts a free kick from a dangerous position. It’s poorly taken, then Argentina wins a free kick from the shadow of their own goal after an Oscar-worthy performance from Montiel. The Conmebol energy is strong with this one already.
11 min: Lots of two-way energy but neither team really manages to get their teeth into the match so far. Almost out of nowhere, Neymar springs up the left side but the attack is broken up and a foul gives Argentina a free kick going the other way.
1 min: After a minute of silence for the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Uruguayan referee Esteban Ostojich gives the signal and we’re off and running from the Maracanã! Argentina attacks from left to right in their familiar white kits with blue stripes, Brazil from right to left in yellow shirts with blue shorts.
The teams emerge from the tunnel and take their positions on either side of the trophy for the national anthems. The scenes play out beneath a spectaular pyrotechnic display above the ground. First it’s Brazil’s Hino Nacional Brasileiro, followed by Argentina’s Himno Nacional Argentino. We should be under way in a few short minutes!
