 MetLife Stadium (pictured earlier in the tournament) hosted the final. | |||||||
| Event | Copa América Centenario | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Afterextra time Chile won 4–2 onpenalties | |||||||
| Date | June 26, 2016 (2016-06-26) | ||||||
| Venue | MetLife Stadium,East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Claudio Bravo (Chile)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Héber Lopes (Brazil)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 82,026[3] | ||||||
| Weather | 77 °F (25 °C), Clear[4] | ||||||
←2015 2019 → | |||||||
TheCopa América Centenario final was asoccer match that took place on June 26, 2016 to determine the winner of theCopa América Centenario. It was the 45th final of the Copa América, and it took place atMetLife Stadium at theMeadowlands Sports Complex inEast Rutherford, New Jersey, outside of theNew York City.[5]
The match was contested by Argentina and Chile, making it a rematch of the2015 final.[6][7] At this tournament, Argentina and Chile soon faced each other inGroup D, and the victory belonged to Argentina with a score of 2–1. But in the final, like the last one, Chile ultimately won on penalty kicks after a 0–0 draw, with Chile scoring only their last 4 penalties after going first and 2 Argentines missing. However, Chile won 4-2 this time. ForwardLionel Messi announced his retirement from international soccer after the defeat, his third consecutive final defeat with Argentina, although he later reversed this decision.[8][9]
This edition of theCopa América was the first hosted by the United States. The match marked the sixth time Argentina reached the final since the tournament was rebrandedCopa América in 1975. They also finished in the top two in 22 editions of the tournament's predecessor, theCampeonato Sudamericano, in which winners were decided in a single group stage with no final match. At this time, Argentina's last international tournament win had been the Copa America in1993. Meanwhile, this was Chile's fourth final appearance, having also finished in the top two in 1955 and 1956. Chile was the defending champions, having won their first international title inthe previous year's edition as the host nation. This was Argentina's third major tournament final in a row, after the2014 FIFA World Cup final and2015 Copa América final, a feat only done twice before in the history of national teams, by West Germany (1972, 1974, 1976) and Spain (2008, 2010, 2012).
| Argentina | Round | Chile | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Group stage | Opponent | Result |
 Chile | 2–1 | Match 1 |  Argentina | 1–2 |
 Panama | 5–0 | Match 2 |  Bolivia | 2–1 |
| Bolivia | 3–0 | Match 3 | Panama | 4–2 |
| Group D winner | Final standings | Group D runner-up | ||
| Opponent | Result | Knockout stage | Opponent | Result |
 Venezuela | 4–1 | Quarter-finals |  Mexico | 7–0 |
 United States | 4–0 | Semi-finals |  Colombia | 2–0 |
Pitbull andBecky G[10] performed the official song of the tournament, "Superstar", immediately following the match and trophy ceremony.[11]
As part of FIFA's approval of rule changes based onIFAB's new regulations, a fourth substitute was allowed in extra time.[5][12] However, neither team used the fourth substitution after the match went into extra time.
          Argentina |      Chile |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[2] | Match rules[5]
|
| Statistic[13] | Argentina | Chile |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 0 | 0 |
| Total shots | 18 | 4 |
| Shots on target | 3 | 2 |
| Saves | 2 | 3 |
| Ball possession | 46% | 54% |
| Corner kicks | 9 | 4 |
| Fouls committed | 14 | 22 |
| Offsides | 0 | 5 |
| Yellow cards | 5 | 3 |
| Red cards | 1 | 1 |
Chile won their second consecutive final and defended the Copa América after their win in 2015, while Argentina lost their third consecutive final (preceded by the2014 World Cup and2015 Copa América).[14] The match had an attendance of 82,026, the largest in the history ofNew Jersey.[14]
Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international soccer after the match, saying "I've done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion." Argentine newspaperLa Nación speculated that other players, includingSergio Agüero,Javier Mascherano andGonzalo Higuaín were set to retire.[15]ESPN Deportes reported thatÁngel Di María,Lucas Biglia,Ezequiel Lavezzi andÉver Banega could potentially retire as well.[8][16] On August 12, 2016, Messi reverted his decision and announced his comeback to international soccer, saying "There were too many things in my head during the day of the last final and I seriously thought about letting it go, but I love my country and this jersey so much."[17][18] Three of the aforementioned players (Agüero, Di María and Messi) would eventually win their first international title at theCopa América five years later. They would also go on to win the2022 World Cup, with Messi and Di Maria scoring in the final.
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