Simply Amazing! Chile wins the Copa America for the second year in a row beating Argentina in a penalty shootout. Here are a few details of the soccer action!

What an amazing tournament! Ultimately the best team prevailed on June 26th, when Chile outscored Argentina in a heated game to become the champions of the 2016 Copa America Centenario. After double overtime action and penalty kicks, Chile proved to the world they are the best team in the Copa America this year.

The final score at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in this exciting Copa America game saw Chile on top, 0-0 beating Argentina in penalty kicks 4-2. Argentinian star Lionel Messi, 29, was brought to tears after missing his penalty kick and ultimately losing the game.

It was a wild one. The officials lost control of this match early with two red cards going out before halftime, one for each team. The red cards were on top of the several yellow cards handed out. The discipline included a warning for global soccer superstar Messi, who got into a bit of trouble of his own before the second half even began!

Argentina played the aggressor in the first half, out-shooting their Chilean opponents 7-0 in the first half alone. Yet, neither Argentina nor Chile could not get the ball into the net during regulation as both teams were shut-out for both the first and second half of the game as well as 2 overtimes! Argentina had high-scoring games in every match leading up to this final but not in this one. Chile was the first team that has been able to slow down the high-powered offense led by world-class striker Messi.

It was a long journey for both of these teams leading up to the Copa America final game. Argentina delivered a heart-breaking defeat to the US Men’s National team in the semifinals, shutting out the Americans 4-0. Chile did their own bit of damage in the early rounds. The Chileans handed Mexico a huge defeat, shutting them out 7-0 before not allowing a score against Colombia in the semifinals in their victory over them, 2-0.

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Messi blazed a penalty over the bar in the shoot-out before Lucas Biglia missed to leave Chile’s Francisco Silva with the task of stroking home the winning spot-kick in New Jersey. It was a carbon copy of last year’s Copa America final, also won by Chile on penalties after a goalless draw. Argentina’s players meanwhile were left disconsolate as they digested a third defeat in a major final following losses to Germany in the 2014 World Cup and Chile in last year’s Copa. The defeat also ensured Argentina’s 23-year wait for a major title – and a first for five-time world player of the year Messi – continued. The final had gone to penalties after finishing deadlocked at 0-0 after 120 minutes.

Both sides were reduced to 10 men in the first half as Brazilian referee Heber Lopes struggled to get a grip on an ill-tempered contest played in front of a crowd of 82,026. The first yellow card of the match came in the 16th minute when Marcelo Diaz brought down Messi with a cynical hack across the thighs as the Barcelona star advanced on the Chilean goal. Argentina should have taken the lead on 21 minutes when a defensive blunder from Gary Medel, miscontrolling a back pass, allowed Gonzalo Higuain to go clean through on goal.