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Argentina have a favorable record regarding Copa América matches, and every time these powerhouses of South American football met in a battle for a title, the "Albicelestes" took top honors.
The Argentineans outrival Brazil in the super-derby of South American tournaments, especially due to their fine performances in the first half of the century. All told, there have been 30 encounters, with 15 Argentinean victories, 8 Brazilians wins and 7 draws, two of which defined after penalty shootouts, with one victory apiece.
For the final of Peru 2004, this Sunday, at the Nacional Stadium, in Lima, it will be the first time that they will meet in this competition format, but it´s the sixth fixtures, considering the system in which the finals were held by more than two countries. In the five previous occasions, the Argentinean were the ones who clinched the title.
Their last encounter took place 45 years ago, in Argentina 1959, when the hosts achieved the all-important draw they needed in the last match (1-10 to overcome the side that boasted Pelé.
Not taking into consideration the play-off held in Argentina 1937, when the hosts came away with a 2-nil win, leveling Brazil on points, the other matches for the South American title were played out in a round robin system, and not in a head-to-head final.
This is what happened in Argentina, in 25, when the "Albiceletes" celebrated glory after a 2-all tie with their neighbors, runners-up 2 points behind. Also in the South American Tournament, in Argentina 1946, the hosts managed a 2-nil victory to leave their rivals in second, three points behind.
In Peru 57, the memorable Argentinean side of Omar Sivori and Humberto Maschio were level on points with Brazil in the penultimate round. They hammered the Brazilians 3 to nothing and won the title in advance, at the same Nacional Stadium, venue for the Sunday match between the teams led by Marcelo Bielsa and Carlos Alberto Parreira.
In their last encounter in a Copa América, the two South American giants clashed in Paraguay 99, in the Cidad del Este, where Brazil were 2-1 winners in the quarterfinals before clinching the title in the process.
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