EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Argentina booked a spot in the Copa America quarterfinals with a group stage game to spare on Tuesday, scoring in the dying minutes of their 1-0 win over Chile at MetLife Stadium courtesy of Lautaro Martinez.
Lionel Messi's side was slow to begin against a compact Chile defense but began to break them down about 20 minutes into the match and did not stop taking shot after shot at the opposition goal. Julian Alvarez and Nicolas Gonzalez were amongst those who took meaningful shots in the first half but 41-year-old goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was up for the task. Messi also had an impressive first-half shot from distance but the ball hit the post before going out.
The pace of the game did not change much in the second half with Messi and Alexis Mac Allister taking several meaningful shots. Chile posted their first shot of the game in the 70th minute through Rodrigo Echeverria and forced Emiliano Martinez into several saves down the stretch. Their signs of life, though, did not damage Argentina's efforts to press for a goal and the breakthrough came with minutes to spare.
Lautaro Martinez scored in the 88th minute off a corner that created a mess in the penalty area. Bravo was able to make a save but the ball fell to the substitute, who scored his second goal of the tournament and maintained strong form after winning the Golden Boot in Serie A last season.
Argentina sit atop Group A with six points, three points ahead of second-place Canada with three points. Chile sink to last place with one point, tied on points with third place Peru.
The reigning champions finish out the group stage on Saturday against Peru, though there is some question as to whether Messi will be available for the match, Messi appeared to be dealing with a nagging injury, saying after the match, "I felt some discomfort in my right hamstring at the beginning of the game. It was tight. It wasn't as loose as it should've been. But I was able to finish the game. We'll see how it goes."