Related items

• Messi reveals hamstring issue after Argentina's win over Chile

  Lionel Messi has revealed he played through discomfort in his right hamstring as Argentina beat Chile 1-0 in their second match at the Copa America on Tuesday.

  Lautaro Martinez came off the bench to score an 88th-minute winner as the world champions secured qualification for the quarter-finals with one match to spare.

  Messi failed to score for a second successive game at the tournament, only recording one shot worth 0.02 expected goals (xG), though he did create a game-high five chances for his team-mates.

  The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner also led all players on the pitch for passes in the final third (18) and completed seven of his 11 attempted dribbles – both match-high figures.

  Boss Lionel Scaloni has now been handed a major worry, however, with Messi revealing he played through the pain barrier.

  "I felt some discomfort in my right hamstring at the beginning of the game. It was tight." Messi said. 

  "It wasn't as loose as it should've been, but I was able to finish the game. We'll see how it goes."

  Messi could get a rest when Argentina face Peru in their final Group A match on Saturday, though, with only a point required to secure top spot.

  Scaloni said: "Against Peru, the guys who didn't get minutes in these matches will play."

• Chile 0-1 Argentina: Super sub Martinez sends Albiceleste to Copa America quarter-finals

  Lautaro Martinez struck a late winner as Argentina beat Chile 1-0 to secure their place in the Copa America knockout stages with a game to spare.

  The reigning champions looked like they would have to settle for a point on a frustrating night at the MetLife Stadium, having failed to turn their superiority into the game's opening goal.

  But substitute Martinez, who also netted from the bench in his nation's opener against Canada, finally broke Chile's resolve when he lashed home two minutes from time.

  It moved Lionel Scaloni's side onto six points at the Group A summit, three points ahead of Canada, who beat Peru 1-0 earlier in the day. A draw against Peru in their final game will now be enough to secure top spot.

  Argentina dominated the first half with 13 unanswered shots, yet just three of those were on target. One of them saw Julian Alvarez fire straight at Claudio Bravo from close range in the 22nd minute.

  Lionel Messi also went close to scoring in the 36th minute. La Albiceleste's skipper let fly with a fizzing 25-yard attempt that clipped the outside of Bravo's left post, while Erick Pulgar almost turned Nahuel Molina's cross beyond the Chile goalkeeper two minutes later.

  La Roja had Bravo to thank for keeping Argentina at bay, as the reigning champions continued to carry the greater attacking threat after the break.

  The veteran stopper beat away Molina's fierce strike within five minutes of the restart, and just after the hour mark, he produced a superb reflex save to tip Nicolas Gonzalez's drive onto the crossbar.

  With the breakthrough still eluding the world champions, Scaloni bolstered his attack by introducing Angel Di Maria and Martinez for the final 17 minutes.

  Chile had increased their own attacking threat by registering their first attempts on goal in the contest, with Rodrigo Echeverria calling Emiliano Martinez into action on both occasions.

  Yet, there was to be a late twist in Argentina's favour when an 88th-minute corner broke kindly for Martinez, who reacted quickest to fire into the roof of the net and send La Albiceleste through to the quarter-finals.

  Persistence pays dividends for Argentina

  The history books would have suggested Argentina should have fancied their chances against Chile.

  This is epitomised by the fact they are now unbeaten after 90 minutes in the last 13 meetings, winning eight of those, but that does not tell the full story.

  Seven of those eight victories have only been by a single-goal margin and, of course, they lost on penalties in the Copa America final showdowns of 2015 and 2016.

  Though they dominated most of this contest and registered 22 shots to their opponents' three, just the one goal was enough once more, with both of Martinez's strikes from the bench in this competition coming in the 88th minute.

  Argentina progress to the Copa America knockout stages for a 14th consecutive time, excluding when they withdrew from the 2001 tournament.

  Toothless Roja see resistance broken

  Chile looked set to frustrate Argentina once again at the Copa America and hold out for a second successive clean sheet.

  Their defensive resolve - along with an inspired performance by Bravo between the sticks - looked like it would remain firm and keep the reigning champions at bay, until Martinez's late intervention.

  What will be more concerning for La Roja is the fact they have now gone four successive Copa America matches without scoring, while having to wait until the 72nd minute for their first attempt on goal.

  That is something they need to address quickly ahead of their crucial final Group A clash with Canada, in which a victory could still see them snatch second place and a quarter-final spot.

• Martinez confirms Ronaldo set for landmark appearance at Euros

  Roberto Martinez confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo will start against Georgia in their final Euro 2024 group game to make a landmark appearance.

  The Portugal captain is set to become the first European player to make appear in 50 games at major tournaments in his next match, and a start against Georgia will take him to 28 caps at the Euros.

  The Selecao have already confirmed their place in the last 16 as Group F winners with a 3-0 victory over Turkiye last time out, after beating Czechia 2-1 in their opener.

  So, Martinez was expected to make changes to his starting line-up with one eye on the knockout stage, but the Spaniard was happy to confirm Ronaldo would not be one of them.

  "I can say that the captain will be in the starting team. It's important," said Martinez. "He only played one preparation match.

  "His season was very consistent, and he has played every game, has had a lot of minutes at his club. To continue with the competitive rhythm, it's not good to stop now and then reactivate in six days.

  "We prepared the game to win. I believe the integrity of the tournament is essential.

  "It is an important match because the result will show who will and will not be qualified. Georgia had a very interesting European Championship, could have beaten the Czech Republic in the last play of the match.

  "They were very competitive against Turkey. We need to maintain the same focus and win."

  Portugal were the victim of multiple pitch invaders against Turkiye as fans tried to get close to Ronaldo.

  While the 39-year-old took the time to take a photo with one young fan but appeared frustrated as the trend continued.

  Martinez added: "He's a very experienced player, he's been with the team for over 20 years.

  "He knows the kind of support fans provide, but not just Portugal fans, football fans. I hope there won't be any pitch invasions - this is dangerous and it's not good for football, it's not a part of the game that we want to see."