Lionel Messi watched from the bench as Argentina opened their Copa America campaign with a 2-1 victory over Chile in Santa Clara in Group D. Messi is still struggling with a back injury suffered in the friendly clash with Honduras last month but was not needed as Angel Di Maria and Ever Banega scored early in the second half to put Argentina in control, before Jose Fuenzalida headed home a late consolation effort for Chile at Levis Stadium.Gerardo Martinos team started brightly and Nicolas Gaitan, drafted into the starting line-up in place of Messi, almost gave them a second-minute lead but he could not keep his header down and the ball drifted harmlessly over the crossbar. Argentina continued to cause the Chile defence problems and Di Maria twisted his way into the penalty box but pulled his shot wide of the target.Di Maria appealed for a penalty after another run in behind the Chile defence, but his claims were waved away and only a corner came from it. Argentinas Ever Banega (c) celebrates with his team-mates after scoring against Chile A flowing move saw Argentina create another great opportunity as they quickly turned defence into attack and Banegas ball into the box was cleared behind for a corner.Marcos Rojo was gifted acres of space from the resulting corner, but he failed to take advantage and sent a free header wide of the post. Argentina players celebrate Angel Di Marias goal Chile had their best opportunity of the first half after 29 minutes with great link-up play between Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal before the former saw his goalbound effort parried by Sergio Romero.Romero again denied Sanchez from a free-kick as Chile grew in confidence.Argentina took the lead six minutes into the second half when Banega picked up the ball in midfield and played in Di Maria and the Paris Saint-Germain winger took one touch before rifling the ball past Claudio Bravo. Argentinas Lionel Messi sat out the game in California due to injury Chile hit back and Romero had to be on his toes to deny Vidal but La Albiceleste then went down the other end and doubled their lead with a goal reminiscent of the first.Di Maria turned provider this time and his ball played in Banega down the left channel and he drilled a left-footed effort into the roof of the net via a slight deflection in the 59th minute.Sergio Aguero could have killed the game off with five minutes remaining as he was left unmarked in the box but headed wide of Bravos goal.Fuenzalida pulled one back three minutes into stoppage time, heading home a free-kick, but Argentina held on for victory.In the other game in Group D on Monday, Blas Perez scored twice as Panama beat Bolivia 2-1 in Orlando. Argentina meet Panama in their next fixture in Chicago on Friday, with Chile taking on Bolivia in Foxborough earlier in the day.Watch Copa America matches live on Premier Sports DeAndre Carter Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Nigel Bradham Jersey . After missing 20 games as a rookie a year ago, Valanciunas - like the Raptors as a whole - has been fortunate to be in good health this season. As he spoke about it, the Raptors sophomore centre scanned the room for wood to knock on. "It is disappointing because we lost today so thats the worst part of the day," said Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays game with a lower-back sprain in the third quarter, missing the rest of Torontos 118-113 overtime defeat at the hands of the Hawks. http://www.officialphiladelphiaeaglesfoo...r-jersey-womens. Rockies manager Walt Weiss was unhappy, too. Weiss addressed the issue in a 15-minute meeting with his pitcher and catcher after the Rockies gave up 14 hits and lost 10-1. De La Rosa lasted only 4 1-3 innings and allowed five runs in his first opening-day start. Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys . Ferrer will play Mikhail Youzhny on Sunday after he defeated Dmitry Tursunov 6-2, 6-4 in an all-Russian semifinal. "Youzhny is a good player," Ferrer said. Harold Carmichael Jersey .Y. - Through three quarters, the Brooklyn Nets could not shake the NBAs worst team.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Its always fun to sit down and try the latest and craziest beverages produced by one of the many microbrews across North America, but other times its best to know exactly what you are getting. In that regard, Roberto Luongo is a high-priced but well-worth bottle of vintage wine, a true go-to for enjoyment for the Florida Panthers. When the dreaded term rebuilding is whispered amongst a hockey organization, it usually means that the fans and coaching staff are in for a few years of molding new, young talent. Add in a few talented veterans down the road and, to quote Carl Weathers, baby, youve got a stew going. The Panthers have made the playoffs just once in the previous 13 seasons and finished seventh out of eight teams in the Atlantic Division a season ago. That pretty much screams early stages of a rebuild, but that didnt stop Florida from making a big move prior to last seasons trade deadline, getting Luongo from the Vancouver Canucks. Acquiring a 35-year-old big-name netminder is usually a play that is made during the latter stages of a rebuild, but the Panthers couldnt pass up the chance to bring Luongo back to Sunrise, where he spent the majority of the early stages of his career. Or maybe general manager Dale Tallon believed his club was closer to relevance than thought by the majority. After all, the Panthers sit only three points back of the Boston Bruins for the Easts second wild card spot following a bigg win over the Canucks on Thursday night.dddddddddddd And yes, it is still early, but the Panthers have four games in hand on the Bruins. Luongo is a big part of Floridas success obviously, going 16-7-7 with a goals against average (2.23) and save percentage (.926) that both rank top 10 in the NHL. But even better for the Panthers growing core and first-year head coach Gerard Gallant is that Luongo is a safety net for the club, a bail-out that allows the coach and players to take some chances they may otherwise not take. If any team knows that, it is the Canucks. Luongo spent nearly eight full seasons in Vancouver and left the franchise as its all-time leader in wins (233) and shutouts (38). He made 32 saves to defeat his former team on Thursday, tying Dominik Hasek for 11th on the all-time list with 389 wins. Another sign of how special Luongo can be to a franchise: the fans cheered the opposing netminder for the entire game, from a video tribute early on to when he was named the games first start at its completion. The Canucks faithful even broke out vintage Loo chants for the game. It was nice to receive that acknowledgement, said Luongo. I played here for eight years. I gave it my heart and soul the whole time. There was some ups and downs, obviously, but at the end of the day Im glad the positive was remembered more than the negative. If this season is any indication, there are some positive days ahead for the Panthers too. Blackhawks Jerseys StoreCheap Wild JerseysCheap Red Wings JerseysCheap Maple Leafs JerseysPenguins Jerseys StoreCapitals Jerseys For SaleBlues Jerseys StoreCheap Kings JerseysAdidas Lightning JerseysStars Jerseys For SaleCheap Predators JerseysDucks StoreSharks Jerseys For SaleCheap Sabres JerseysRangers Jerseys For Sale ' ' '