Copa America: Bearded Messi scores despite pain as Argentina ease into last eight, controversial win for Chile

Argentina beat Panama 5-0 even as rivals Group D escape to victory over Bolivia.

Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a goal during a Copa America Centenario Group D match against Panama on Friday in Chicago. Charles Rex Arbogast / AP Photo

Argentina 5

Panama 0

Lionel Messi came off the bench to score a hat-trick in just 18 minutes on Friday as Argentina hammered Panama 5-0 and eased into the quarter-finals of the Copa America.

Argentina were 1-0 up at half time thanks to a Nicolas Otamendi goal after just six minutes.

Panama lost Anibal Godoy to a red card after half an hour but the Central Americans held on until Messi, who missed Argentina’s opening win against Chile with a sore back, replaced Augusto Fernandez after 61 minutes.

The Barcelona forward started gingerly but grabbed Argentina’s second in the 68th minute by steering home a left foot shot after a rebound fell to him in the Panama box.

He scored a gorgeous second with a 25-yard free kick just nine minutes later and then with some fancy footwork in the box gave himself enough space to slot home his third and Argentina’s fourth in the 86th minute.

Sergio Aguero, another substitute, made it 5-0 with a header in the final moments.

“My back was a bit painful at the start but it went away,” said Messi, who was cheered every time he touched the ball by the 53,000 crowd in Chicago.

“I think we are where we want to be, which is getting better,” he told TV cameras after the game.

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The result came after Chile had beaten Bolivia in the other Group D game. Argentina have six points from two games, while Bolivia have none and are out.

Chile and Panama both have three and will face off on Tuesday to decide who join Argentina in the quarter-finals.

Goals in the first and last minutes of the second half from Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal were enough to help the reigning champions overcome Bolivia in Boston.

Chile had 75 per cent of the possession and 18 shots at goal to Bolivia’s three and were far superior against the lowest-ranked team in the tournament.

Vidal put the Chileans ahead in the 46th minute but substitute Jhasmani Campos got an equaliser for Bolivia on the hour mark with a superb free kick.

Vidal then took advantage of a controversial penalty decision for handball to score the winner in the dying seconds.

Vidal’s controversial penalty keeps Chile hopes alive

Chile 2

Bolivia 1

Arturo Vidal scored a controversial penalty deep into injury time as holders Chile snatched a dramatic 2-1 victory over Bolivia to keep their Copa America Centenario campaign alive here Friday.

Bayern Munich star Vidal struck from the spot in the 10th minute of time added on after a hugely debatable penalty was awarded against Bolivian defender Luis Gutierrez for handball by US referee Jair Marrufo.

Television replays showed Gutierrez had his right arm behind his back to avoid conceding a handball but Alexis Sanchez’s cross struck him on the shoulder and Marrufo pointed to the spot after the apparent intervention of the linesman.

Bolivia’s players surrounded the referee for angry protests but Marrufo’s decision stood and it was left to Vidal to drive home the penalty.

The result gives Chile hope of reaching the last eight following their opening defeat to Argentina in Group D.

Chile manager Juan Antonio Pizzi brushed off questions about his team’s fortuitous penalty award, insisting that they had deserved to win.

“We more than deserved to win the game,” Pizzi said. “The game didn’t go quite as we planned, but we were worthy winners.

“Sometimes decisions go for you, sometimes against you. They balance out. But we deserved to win.”

Vidal meanwhile admitted he doubted whether the penalty should have been given but claimed it was compensation.

“They missed a clear handball earlier in the game, so it balanced things,” the midfielder said.

Bolivia manager Julio Cesar Baldivieso decried the spot-kick as a “disgrace” and also questioned how match officials had determined that more than eight minutes of added time should be played.

“It’s a disgrace what they’ve done,” he fumed. “It really hurts to lose that way. I’d ask you to analyze the video and tell me where those eight minutes of injury time came from.”

Earlier a stunning 61st minute free-kick from Kuwait-based playmaker Jhasmani Campos appeared to have grabbed a share of the points for Bolivia at Gillette Stadium after Vidal had given Chile the lead just after half-time.

Bolivia, beaten by Panama in their first match, have zero points from two games.

It looked like being a frustrating evening at Foxborough for the Chileans, who dominated possession and territory but were unable to make their advantage count until the referee’s late intervention.

After a scrappy first half, Chile looked to have taken a decisive breakthrough immediately after the restart with Vidal’s goal.

Arsenal star Sanchez dispossessed Juan Carols Arce just outside the Bolivia area and fed Mauricio Pinilla.

Pinilla looked up and squared for Vidal who swept in an emphatic finish to make it 1-0 on 46 minutes.

Yet Bolivia got back on level terms after Chile conceded a free-kick from around 25 meters, slightly out to the right.

There appeared to be little danger but Campos stepped up and produced a spectacular long-range strike which curled late before dipping into the top corner beyond the fingertips of Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

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