And here’s the match report from Tuesday night’s game:

The camera goes to Messi, and his bottom lip is poking out, though he is trying not to give too much away. This was not a playing embarrassment like those at previous Copas and World Cups but Argentina have flopped again. His chances of ever winning an international trophy are dwindling to a maximum of two, three more attempts, and he looked a little jaded in Belo. It may now be time to step aside for the new guard.

Brazil, with better finishing, organisation, and belief in themselves, are in the final and will play the winner of Peru and Chile. They must fancy themselves, though a mounting injury list may be problematic. That was the pitched battle we wanted and expected, a classic of the genre.

90+4 min: Brazil fans celebrate and taunt their most hated opposition as the clock ticks on. It has been a great night for them.

90+3 min: Brazil take an age over a corner but then Coutinho, chasing the goal his performance deserves, goes looking for a goal. The ball is eventually cleared.

90+2 min: Argentina have not played badly, really, especially the younger guard, who have been let down - a little by the elder statesmen - and that includes Messi, who has only occasionally flashed.

90 min: Four minutes added on. Surely not for Argentina?

89 min: Argentina’s tactical shift has left them shapeless. They don’t even have a Mick Harford or Niall Quinn to launch the ball at. Too many ball players. Di Maria loses it and the brilliant Dani Alves runs half the length of the field then gratefully buys a foul.

88 min: Brazil being roared on as they pass the ball the around. This looks like the end for Argentina. And Messi’s drought will continue. Probably forever, too.

87 min: Argentina’s final change saw Paulo Dybala come on for Tagliafico. That looks too little and far too late.

85 min: Brazil having to defend like demons. But they get respite when Otamendi hits the floor. He was poleaxed by Arthur in the box. That looks like a case for VAR. But nothing given. If that was not a foul then...VAR is far less liberal at the Women’s World Cup.

82 min: A Messi maraud is stopped in its tracks by a combination of Alisson and his defenders. Aguero was waiting but couldn’t get on the end of the ball. Willian is the latest Brazilian to go down, though he manages to haul himself back on the field to stop the action taking place.

80 min: Jesus off, for Alan, and the City player leaves as the man of the match, having set up the second and scored the first, his first of the tournament. He has overshadowed Aguero tonight. Pep Guardiola take note.

79 min: The Brazilian wall of defending holds firm again from a corner and Di Maria wildly whacks the ball into the stand. Gabriel Jesus looks like he has a problem, perhaps muscular, perhaps as a result of the buffeting he has taken.

78 min: Argentina free-kick, and Messi will take it. It’s from the same position as before but he can’t even beat the wall.

74 min: That sinking feeling for Argentina, and tempers are flaring. Lionel Scaloni, the Argentina coach was booked for getting involved in a row.

It came on the counter. Gabriel Jesus broke clear of Otamendi’s clutches, and the ball is slipped to the Liverpool forward, whose finish is hugely calm. Armani can do nothing, and he had been left exposed by his defenders.

70 min: Brazil waste a corner when Coutinho hits the ball too obtuse an angle for his attackers to read. His final ball has not been great on a night he has played well.

68 min: It was Lo Celso who scored Argentina’s second against Venezuela, having come on as sub. What can he conjure tonight?

67 min: Argentina change: Lo Celso comes on for De Paul.

66 min: Messi wins a free-kick in ominous territory by skipping past Dani Alves. Argentina want a penalty but that won’t be happening. It was outside the box. We have seen these whipped in as a matter of course, but Alisson reads it well and catches the ball. It was not given the usual exocet speed but still, fine keeping.

64 min: Another Argentina chance? No, De Paul’s chip is just too far for Di Maria. That sub is made: Miranda on for Marquinhos.

62 min: Marquinhos has a knock and looks like he cannot continue for Brazil, and that will be a severe blow. He has been their prime defender. Joao Miranda will come on, the veteran 34-year-old. Marquinhos looks to have done his hamstring.

61 min: Argentina knock on the door, but Brazil look dangerous as well. This game has lived up to its billing. And more. Real tension and passion.

59 min: Argentina sub: on comes Angel di Maria for Marcos Acuna.

58 min: Messi hits a post! Martinez shoots and the ball spills to Messi who rattles the ball off the woodwork. Aguero is unable to follow the ball in. Martinez, soon after that, gets booked for a tactical foul on Alex Sandro. This is reaching boiling point.

57 min: Oh wow! Wizardry from Dani Alves, and then Gabriel Jesus, but the ball came to Coutinho who saw glory and smashed the ball over. Juan Foyth is booked meanwhile for a hack at Alves during that move.

56 min: Aguero sets off on a long run but finds a blind alley. Messi looked irked by that, as he was asking for the ball.

54 min: Brazil can’t be looking to hang on to this lead, can they? Extra-time may beckon if they do. Willian was brought on to add speed on the break and muscle on the right flank.

52 min: Messi is fouled as he comes away from a melee in midfield. Again, he had dropped deep. Then, he and Aguero link up to set up De Paul, bursting on, to fire in a shot. The shoot was poor. Argentina have had seven shots to Brazil’s two.

50 min: Plenty of booing as Argentina play the ball around patiently until Acuna makes a mess of his pass. Then, Martinez gets the ball in space and tests Alisson with a shot that is caught. Still, that was a warning sign.

49 min: Tagliafico goes forward this time and his cross is dangerous and aimed at Sergio Aguero, but headed away by Thiago Silva.

47 min: Tagliafico, chasing back, rather carelessly concedes a corner. The kick is aimed at Thiago Silva but Armani claims it smart-casually.

Willian is coming on for Brazil as a half-time sub, and it looks like Everton has come off. There are boos for that from the crowd in Belo.

Ok, here we go. Is this the last 45 minutes of Lionel Messi’s international career? Until, that is, he comes out of retirement for next year’s Copa and the World Cup in 2022.

Aaron from Ireland thinks of what might have been, though takes a dollop of fantasy. “Greetings John. It’s sad that Lionel’s Messi’s incredible career will, in part, be defined by Argentina’s comical failure to deliver a single international title aside from that Olympic gold in 2008. Imagine a parallel universe where Messi declared for Spain and won multiple World Cups and European Championships side-by-side with Xavi and Iniesta.”

That was a breathless half, and it ends with Lionel Messi asking questions of the officials. Brazil were the better team, but only just. Gabriel Jesus’ goal was the creation of the ageless Dani Alves but Sergio Aguero hit the bar with a header from a chipped Messi free-kick.

45+1 min: Whistles as Argentina mount their last attacks of the half. Brazil holding firm so far. Still yet to concede a goal in the tournament.

45 min: There will be two minutes added on.

44 min: Coutinho carries the ball 40 yards, plays in Alves, who tries another of those crosses. Again, Argentina deal well with that. Brazil are back on the attack now.

43 min: Alves swings in a great cross but Firmino cannot climb above Pezzella, who stands his ground well, stopping the Liverpool man getting his head on the ball.

42 min: Jesus wins respite by winning a free-kick, as does Coutinho straight after. Everton goes on the charge and the crowd get excited. It takes Foyth’s hack behind to cool that excitement.

40 min: Some Messi wizardry, as he holds three, four defenders but Brazil are back in enough numbers to get the ball away. Acuna, meanwhile, is booked for a clash with Alves, who also got a yellow. They were contesting a throw-in. Oh, it’s heated.

38 min: First shot by Messi. It goes over; he now looks up for this. He even put in tackle just now, on a rather surprised Alex Sandro.

36 min: Marquinhos has to stop an Aguero shot as Messi releases his old pal. Signs of the old telepathy coming back? Did they ever have much telepathy? Maybe at the 2008 Olympics.

35 min: Alves is OK to continue too, and that’s good for this game as he has been an absolute wizard. His contribution to the goal was a rolling back of the years to his Barca peak.

34 min: Now Dani Alves is hurt and it looks painful. Ginger would be the description of his current gait.

32 min: Alisson is OK to continue, but Brazil suddenly don’t look quite so solid as they did.

30 min: Close for Argentina. Only a desperate scramble clears Brazil’s lines. Messi’s free-kick finds the head of Aguero and he hits the crossbar! Alisson, rather conveniently, goes down with a knock and there’s a break in play.

29 min: Messi asks for a yellow card for foul on him by Casemiro. Naughty boy. He gets away with it, of course.