Holiday season has it's great moments as the Barca stars entertain their crowd in far away Argentina.


Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi were involved in a charity match played in far away Argentina. Messi and friends was the name of one team while Ronaldinho and friends was the name of the other team. Who won the match? Who were the other players that made the charity match a memorable one? Read more below:


Ronaldinho And Messi Thrill Argentine Fans.

Watch Lionel Messi's brilliant goal and video highlights of the two Semi-Final amtches at the 2007 Copa America.


Lionel Messi's goal:

Watch more highlights from the Argentina - Mexico match 3-0 (1-0).


Goals:
Gabriel Heinze (44')

Lionel Messi (61')
Joan Riquelme (65')

Brazil - Uruguay 2-2 (2-1), 5-4 pen


Goals:
Brazil>:Maicon(14'), Julio César Baptista(40')

Uruguay :Forlán(36'), Sebastián Abreu(70')


Penalty shoot-out:
Brazil : Robinho (score), Juan (score), Gilberto (score), Afonso (miss), Diego (score), Fernando (miss), Gilberto (score)


Uruguay: Forlan (miss), Scotti (score), Gonzalez (score), Rodriguez (score), Abreu (score), Garcia (miss), Lugado(miss)

Magical Messi produces more magic at Copa America.


FC Barcelona's wonderman, Lionel Messi has created another wonderful performance that further likens the youthful striker to legendary idol, Diego Armando Maradona. After scoring the goal of the season against Getafe in a Spanish cup match, the world hailed Messi as the genuine successor to Diego Maradona. This has been repeated with another brilliant goal from the Barcelona star. Messi, playing against impressive Mexico, dug the base of the ball from a death-still position and made everyone watch as the round leather assumed an upward flight, going toward Mexican keeper Oswald Sanchez, but sailing over the keeper's reach and floating into the net for Argentina's second goal of the match in the 61st minute. Alfio Basile, the coach of the Argentine national team, was thrilled with the goal. Basile gasps:

The goal was simply unbelievable. Only a genius could do this. Messi knows how to run into areas where he can be dangerous.

Basile was asked about comparisms between Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona and responded :

I have had the pleaure of training both of them and I can say that yes indeed, Lionel Messi is going in the direction of Diego Maradona. Both of them can do what common players cannot. However, to compare Maradona with a boy who is just starting out is not fair. Messi is a very intelligent player, and he needs to be given the freedom to do what he does best.

Argentina had earlier gone ahead with a 44th Minute goal from Manchester United gifted defender, Gabriel Heinze, who finished off a free-kick from Joan Riquelme with a high-rise of his left foot, while Messi scored his wonder goal in the 61st minute, setting the stage for Riqueleme to strike in his fifth goal of the tournament four minutes later in the 65th minute through a penalty after West Ham striker, Carlos Tevez was fouled in the Mexican 18-yard box.

Argentina will now meet perennial rivals and defending champions Brazil, in the Copa America final match on Sunday, July 15 at Maracaibo, Venezuela. This meeting will be a repeat of the 2004 Final in which Brazil emerged winners after a gruelling 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory after scores were tied at 2-2 at the close of 120 minutes of soccer action.

Lionel Messi scores for Argentina as Marquez inspires Mexico to Championship semis.


Two FC Barcelona players, Lionel Messi and Rafa Marquez will be playing on opposite sides when the next stage of the Copa Americ resumes in the Semi-final clash on Wednesday night. Mexico and Argentina, will fight for a final match spot, after both qualified for the semi-final in grand style, with Mexico denting Paraguay 6-0 and Argentina coming two goals short of that margin with an emphatic 4-0 win over Peru.


Paraguay lost keeper Bobadillo to a red card after just 2 minutes for bringing down Castillo in the box. The striker took the penalty himself and Mexico were one up and a man to the good –a situation they exploited to the full scoring twice more before half time through Torrado in the 26th minute and Castillo again on 38 minutes. Rafa Marquez played for the full 90 minutes and inspired Mexico to another three goal haul in the second half with goals from Fernando Arce, another penalty, this time converted by Cuauhtémoc Blanco, and Omar Bravo.


Argentina rose from a scorless first half to finish off Peru 4-0. Ex-Barca man Juan Román Riquelme opened the scoring on 47 minutes, then on 61 minutes, Leo Messi scored his first goal of the competition, rounding of a good team move. Mascherano and Riquelme with his second rounded of an impressive second half attacking performance to ensure a Marquez-Messi match on Wednesday night.
Watch the videos highlights of both matches:


Mexico - Paraguay 6-0 ( 3-0 )

Goals : Nery Castillo (pen 6'), Gerardo Torrado (27'), Nery Castillo (39'), Fernando Enrique Arce (79'), Cuauhtémoc Blanco (pen 86'
Omar Bravo (90')

Argentina - Peru 4-0 ( 0-0 )
Goals : Juan Riquelme (47'), Lionel Messi(61'), Javier Mascherano (75'), Juan Riquelme (86')

Lionel Messi gives Argentina a bright start in Copa America.


FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi shone brightly for his country Argentina in their first match at the on-going Copa America, setting up two-goal hero, Hernan Crespo in the four goal victory over United States of America. Messi played excellent football and ran numerous rings round the North Americans, who caused early jitters for the Argentine fans by scoring first through an Eddie Johnson penalty. This goal may have been a mistake as it brought the deadly Argentines out of their closet to rain goals and quality football on their opponents.
Speaking on Messi after the match, Crespo said:

Messi is an intelligent player. He is very outstanding and the entire team benefits from hia quality soccer and ball distribution. He has a very great future ahead of him and is bound to improve even better as he gains more experience over the years.

Argentina last won the Copa America in 1993 and will be working hard to win again after 13 years. With the likes of FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Inter Milan's hitman, Hernan Crespo and the highly skillful Riquelme to supply balls for Tevez and co. the Argies may very well over-run all opponents to set up a possible final day meeting with arch-rivals, Brazil, an encounter Crespo said he is eager to see happen.


Crespo wants to cap an Argentine Copa victory with a defeat of Brazil in the Fianl Match, as he believes this will be the grandest way to end the Championship, after the Samba Boys handed Argentina a 4-1 defeat in the Final Match of the Confederations Cup, being the last final match encounter of the two national teams.