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Lionel Messi flops but Coutinho, Sanchez and Liverpool ace make Copa America stats XI
BRAZIL secured their first Copa America title in 12 years with victory over Peru on Sunday, while Lionel Messi had another tournament to forget as Argentina finished third.
Copa America: Lionel Messi given a red card in clash with Medel
Hosts Brazil were made to work hard for their ninth Copa America success as The Selecao saw off surprise package Peru 3-1 at the Maracana.
Gabriel Jesus had an eventful evening, setting up Everton for the opener and scoring the second before being sent off with 20 minutes remaining.
Paolo Guerrero had given Peru a foothold in the game with his third strike of the competition before Jesus was given his marching orders for two yellow cards, with the Manchester City ace taking his frustration out on the VAR monitor then breaking down crying in the tunnel.
Back on the pitch, his team-mates completed the job with a late penalty from Richarlison – maintaining Brazil’s record of winning the Copa America every time they have hosted the tournament.
Tite’s side were far from perfect during their run to the final, being held to goalless draws against Venezuela and Paraguay, but impressed enough for five players to make the Team of the Tournament based on statistics.
Using a complex collection of in-game analysis and metrics, WhoScored.com have generated match ratings for every player in every game throughout the tournament.
These scores have then been averaged out to reveal the best-performing XI, and there is no room for Argentina star Lionel Messi.
The Barcelona forward suffered yet more heartbreak on the international stage as La Albiceleste lost to Brazil in the semi-finals.
Things went from bad to worse for Messi as he was sent off in the third-place play-off following a tussle with Chile’s Gary Medel.
The red card was just Messi’s second of his career, wit the 32-year-old having previously been dismissed on his international debut 14 years ago.
The Argentina frontman ended the tournament with an average match rating of 7.25, meaning he missed out on selection in WhoScored’s 4-4-2 formation.
Manchester United flop Alexis Sanchez (7.4) makes the cut after steering Chile into the semi-finals while Philippe Coutinho (7.8) was the driving force behind Brazil’s title push – but who else is included in the XI?
Copa America Team of the Tournament based on statistics
GK: Alisson (Brazil) – 6.9
RB: Dani Alves (Brazil) – 7.6
CB: Jose Maria Gimenez (Uruguay) – 7.7
CB: Yerry Mina (Colombia) – 7.4
LB: Filipe Luis (Brazil) – 7.4
RM: James Rodriguez (Colombia) – 7.6
CM: Philippe Coutinho (Brazil) – 7.8
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur (Uruguay) – 7.7
LM: Everton (Brazil) – 7.5
Copa America final: Brazil train ahead of Peru clash
ST: Edinson Cavani (Uruguay) – 7.5
ST: Alexis Sanchez (Chile) – 7.4