Neymar Jr. and the Brazil national football team have successfully advanced to the Cope America Final after a 1-0 victory over Peru in the semifinal match at the Estádio Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday. Neymar Jr. and his squad are now one win away from winning back-to-back championships, but their road to their second consecutive Copa America title won’t be easy as they are set to face Lionel Messi and the Argentina national football team in the final.
Neymar Jr. Not Worried About Lionel Messi And Argentina
With the years that they played together in Barcelona, Neymar Jr. is definitely aware of how good Messi is. Still, he remains very confident that his team would beat Messi and the Argentina national football club in their upcoming faceoff at the Copa America Final. Before Argentina clashed with Colombia on Wednesday, Neymar Jr. even expressed his support for Messi’s team while declaring Brazil’s early victory in the final.
"I want Argentina, I am cheering them on," Neymar said, as quoted by CNN. "I have friends there, and in the final, Brazil will win."
Brazil-Argentina Copa America History
Their upcoming faceoff won’t be the first time that Brazil and Argentina met each other in the Copa America Final. The two teams battled for the Copa America title in 2007 where Brazil established a commanding 3-0 victory over Argentina. Brazil’s two goals came from Julio Baptista and Dani Alves, while former Argentina captain Roberto Ayala contributed the other one to the Selecao with his infamous own goal.
Argentina and Brazil played a total of 33 matches in Copa America. Argentina won 15 over Brazil’s 10 while the other eight games were declared draw.
Lionel Messi Warns Team About Neymar Jr. And Brazil
Unlike Neymar Jr., Messi isn’t taking the Brazil national football team lightly. Messi knew how strong Brazil is. Compared to their previous matches, Messi believes that their upcoming game against the defending Copa America champion would be more difficult, especially with the presence of Neymar Jr. whom he shared four highly successful seasons during their time together at Barcelona.
"Brazil with Neymar is going to be very tough," Messi said, as quoted by Mirror. "We know their potential and what Ney can do individually.
Lionel Messi Determined To Win Copa America Final
While Neymar Jr. and the Brazil national football team are gunning for back-to-back championships, Messi and the Argentina national football team are eyeing to end their Copa America title drought. Despite being aware of the dangerous opponent in front of them, Messi strongly believes that his team has what it takes to win their first Copa America title since 1993.
"What I want most is to win something with the national team," Messi said. "I always try to leave everything playing for the national team, to give my all. I always fight to win the cup. Whether we have won or lost we have always progressed deep in the Copa America and now once again too, and this group deserve it."
