Lionel Messi continued on to show on Tuesday night how crucial he is to Argentina's fortunes in the Copa America Centenario.
The Barcelona striker scored a tremendous first-half free-kick as Argentina defeated hosts United States 4-0 in Houston, Texas. They will face either Colombia or Chile in New York this weekend in the final.
Messi has been used sparingly in the tournament so far by manager Gerardo Martino. He has now scored five goals in the tournament, and is second in the top goalscorer charts behind Chile's Eduardo Vargas.
Argentina will go into the final as overwhelming favourites. On their way to the decider, the South American giants have scored 18 goals, conceding only two. They have scored four goals in both of their knockout games.
Despite Messi's brilliant from the deal ball, Argentina's team impressed all over the field. Ezequiel Lavezzi opened the scoring for the team, before Gonzalo Higuain scored two second half goals to put the icing on the cake of a dominant win.
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