Argentina defeated Italy in the Finalissima – a matchup between the European and South American champions – at Wembley.
Argentina beat Italy in the Finalissima at Wembley, with Lionel Messi and Angel di Maria shining.
Messi’s run and cross set up Lautaro Martinez for the opener, and Martinez then turned provider for Di Maria to chip in the second.
Substitute In injury time, Paulo Dybala put the finishing touches on a commanding victory.
Giorgio Chiellini, an Italian defender, started the first half of his 118th and final international match.
The match will be the first in 29 years between the two continental champions.
It’s a reintroduction of the Artemio Franchi Cup, which was last played in 1985, when France defeated Uruguay, and in 1993, when Argentina defeated Denmark on penalties.
Argentina’s victory extends their incredible run of results dating back to June 2019: they have gone undefeated in 32 games, winning their first Copa America title since 1993 and cruising through qualification for the World Cup in Qatar.
At Wembley, they had a stellar front three of Di Maria, Martinez, and Messi, who were a constant threat with their movement and neat interplay.
However, it was Di Maria and Messi who stood out, staging their own mini-competition with PSG teammate and Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in an increasingly one-sided affair.
Di Maria was attempting to lob Donnarumma from close to halfway after only two minutes. He had scored a magnificent chip to follow up Martinez’s opener, which was set up by a typically untouchable Messi run and cross.
