- Argentina forward Julian Alvarez scored against Canada during the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América™ Semifinals and became the fourth player to score in the Semifinals of the FIFA World Cup and CONMEBOL Copa América™
- The other three players to achieve this feat are Lionel Messi, Romario and Diego Forlan.
Argentina’s Manager Lionel Scaloni decided to insert 24-year-old striker Julian Alvarez back into his starting lineup for the CONMEBOL Copa América™ Semifinal against Canada, and the Argentine was quickly rewarded with his decision.
It wasn’t the easiest one to make either. Alvarez started the first two matches against Canada and Chile before being replaced in the lineup with the competition’s current goal scoring leader, Lautaro Martinez. Scaloni’s faith in Alvarez was rewarded however in the 23’, when Rodrigo De Paul made a beautiful pass right through the heart of the Canadian’s defense to Alavrez who then made no mistake in front of goal, scoring the match's opening goal.
The goal not only helped Argentina put one foot in the CONMEBOL Copa América final, it also put Alavrez into the record books. The younger striker had scored twice in Argentina’s 2022 FIFA World Cup Semifinal victory against Croatia, and has now scored in the CONMEBOL Copa América™ Semifinals. He joins his Argentina National Team teammate Lionel Messi, Brazilian, Romario and Uruguayan, Diego Forlan as the only players to have scored in the Semifinals of both competitions.
For Messi, just like Alvarez, he scored against Canada during this year’s continental Semifinal and against Croatia in the World Cup Semifinal. The great Argentine player also scored in the 2016 Copa América Semifinal against the United States, and the 2007 edition’s Semifinal against Mexico.
Romario scored the lone goal in Brazil’s Semifinal victory at the 1994 FIFA World Cup against Sweden and then also got on the scoresheet twice in Brazil’s 7-0 win over Peru at the 1997 CONMEBOL Copa América™.
Then for Diego Forlan, the Uruguayan striker scored in the 2007 CONMEBOL Copa América™ Semifinals against Brazil and in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Semifinals against the Netherlands.
