2021 Copa América final
The 2021 Copa América final was a football match to determine the winners of the 2021 Copa América. The match was the 47th final of the Copa América, a quadrennial tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of CONMEBOL. The match was held at Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 10 July 2021. The match featured two rival teams: Argentina and the tournament hosts, Brazil. Argentina won the match 1–0 to clinch their fifteenth Copa América title and first since 1993, giving captain Lionel Messi his first senior international trophy sixteen years into his career and ending a 28-year trophy drought. Argentina also equalled Uruguay's record of Copa América titles. Argentina would go on to win the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions against Italy, as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Background Argentina and Brazil are long-time rivals, having played 107 prior matches in international competition. The two teams are among the most successful in South American football and had met in three prior Copa América finals in 1937, 2004, and 2007. In Bangladesh, where the two teams have large fanbases, police banned outdoor gatherings in certain rural districts after clashes erupted between rival fans. In the Brahmanbaria District, a clash between fans resulted in serious injuries to four people. Venue The 2021 Copa América was originally planned to be hosted by Argentina and Colombia, with the final scheduled for 12 July 2020 at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla, Colombia. On 17 March 2020, CONMEBOL announced that the tournament would be postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside the 2020 European Championships. Weeks before the tournament, Colombia was removed as host amid the ongoing protests in the country, while Argentina announced that they would be unable to host due to the worsening COVID-19 case rate and were replaced with Brazil despite their high death rate. For the second consecutive time, the final was held at Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã Stadium, the largest stadium in Brazil. It was opened at 10 percent capacity, or 6,500 spectators, for the match due to COVID-19 restrictions. The stadium was excluded from hosting matches in earlier rounds of the competition due to its damaged pitch and was replaced with Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, where players criticised the playing surface. The pitch at the Maracanã was re-laid by CONMEBOL a few days before the final. Officials The referee in charge of the match was Esteban Ostojich from Uruguay. Ostojich, along with fellow Uruguayan linesmen Carlos Barreiro and Martín Soppi, had also officiated group stage matches between Brazil and Venezuela, Peru and Colombia, and quarter final match between Peru and Paraguay. Peruvian referee Diego Haro was the fourth official having officiated in the group stage match between Bolivia and Paraguay and also as fourth official in the Argentina versus Bolivia group stage match. Uruguayan Andrés Cunha was the main video assistant referee. Route to the final Argentina Argentina was the second-most successful nation at the