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		</div><p>Lionel Messi became Argentina&#8217;s joint record scorer as they beat Venezuela 4-1 to set up a Copa America semi-final against host nation the United States.</p>
<p>Gonzalo Higuain&#8217;s double and Luis Manuel Seijas&#8217; embarrassing penalty miss put the Albiceleste in control at half-time in Foxborough, Massachusetts.</p>
<p>Messi made it three &#8211; matching Gabriel Batistuta&#8217;s tally of 54 goals for Argentina &#8211; and though Salomon Rondon deservedly got Venezuela on the scoresheet, Erik Lamela swiftly snuffed out their hopes.</p>
<p>Messi, starting for the first time in this centenary edition of the tournament, curled an early effort wide before setting up Higuain&#8217;s eighth-minute opener with a cross in from deep on the right flank, Higuain lunging in to sweep the ball expertly past goalkeeper Dani Hernandez.</p>
<p>Messi misjudged an opportunist lob with Hernandez stranded 18 yards out after misjudging Nicolas Otamendi&#8217;s long ball but Venezuela threatened a leveller when a corner was not properly cleared, Rondon just unable to connect with a similar effort to Higuain&#8217;s.</p>
<p>Arquimedes Figuera was ruled to have taken the ball rather than, as replays suggested, bundling Messi over in the penalty area and Wilker Angel blocked Higuain&#8217;s shot.</p>
<p>Nicolas Gaitan&#8217;s booking, for a hack at Alexander Gonzalez, ruled him out of a semi-final which moved a step closer when Figuera&#8217;s woeful back-pass allowed Higuain to saunter around Hernandez and make it 2-0.</p>
<p>Figuera almost redeemed himself by setting up Rondon, who forced a superb reaction save from Sergio Romero, and the West Brom striker then headed against the left post from Seijas&#8217; corner.</p>
<p>Venezuela&#8217;s resurgence continued as Romero had to adjust to tip Rolf Feltscher&#8217;s deflected shot over before Martinez, having been denied one penalty, was awarded one after keeper Romero&#8217;s clumsy challenge &#8211; but Seijas, a late inclusion in the line-up in place of the injured Adalberto Penaranda, was made to look foolish as Romero stood his ground to casually catch his chipped spot-kick.</p>
<p>Gaitan was just unable to put a hat-trick on a plate for Higuain straight from the second-half kick-off.</p>
<p>Venezuela&#8217;s Wilker Angel was then booked despite Figuera clearly being the guilty party as Messi was again fouled.</p>
<p>Messi put the game to bed on the hour after exchanging passes with Gaitan and finishing through Hernandez&#8217;s legs.</p>
<p>Figuera was finally booked for his latest crude challenge on the Barcelona star, meaning he would have been dismissed but for the previous case of mistaken identity.</p>
<p>Rondon pulled a goal back with a header from Alejandro Guerra&#8217;s left-wing cross but Argentina substitute Lamela immediately made it 4-1 with a deflected finish from Messi&#8217;s pass.</p>
<p>And with little further goalmouth action it was Gerardo Martino&#8217;s side who went forward to Tuesday&#8217;s clash with the hosts in Houston.</p>
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