Lautaro Martinez scored an overtime winner as Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 to win a record 16th Copa America title at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
A poor game which had been marred by security and crowd issues, forcing a 82-minute delay, was decided by a quality finish from Martinez — his fifth goal of the tournament.
The win was the third straight major tournament title for Argentine following their 2021 Copa victory and their triumph in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
There were tears before the celebrations though with Argentina captain Lionel Messi going off injured in the 66th minute watching the rest of the game distraught on the bench, while there was an emotional farewell for Angel Di Maria in his final game for the national team.
For Colombia, whose only title came in the 2001 Copa America, it was a disappointing night when little seemed to work for Nestor Lorenzo’s team.
There was chaos around entry to the stadium for fans, with organizers blaming supporters for trying to enter without tickets while fans blamed the lack of an efficient entry system to the venue.
The scenes were alarming with some fans needing medical attention for heat exhaustion but after the decision to suddenly throw open the gates, with no checks on those entering, the situation was largely resolved and the game finally went ahead.
Colombia’s Jhon Corboba hit the bottom of the post with a speculative shot in the seventh minute but neither side were able to find their flow in the early stages.
Di Maria found Messi in the 20th minute with a low ball into the box and Messi’s left-foot shot was saved by Colombia keeper Camilo Vargas.
Colombia had looked the more lively in the opening period and they went close in the 33rd minute when Jefferson Lerma tried his luck from 25 yards out and his low drive forced Emiliano Martinez into a diving save.
Messi tears. There was concern for Messi in the 36th minute when he dribbled to the byline but was halted by a sliding challenge from Santiago Arias which was ruled fair left the Argentine captain needing treatment.
Messi, who now plays his club soccer in Miami, then curled a free-kick in from the left flank but Nicolas Tagliafico’s header was just off target.
It had been a disappointing first half and it didn’t improve much after the break, when the fans had at least received some entertainment from Colombian singer Shakira.
Argentina failed to deal with a James Rodriguez corner and the ball looped to Davinson Sanchez but he was unable to keep down his header which floated over the bar.
There was finally some of the expected quality when Di Maria produced one of his trademark runs in from the left and forced Vargas into action, the Colombia keeper turning the ball wide of the post.
Then came a major blow for Argentine hopes when Messi went down, without contact, as he ran in midfield, and clearly in pain he went off to be replaced by Nicolas Gonzalez in the 66th minute.
It was too much for Messi, in what may have been his last major tournament, as he sat in tears on the bench, unable to hold back his emotions.
The Argentine fans thought they had grabbed a winner in the 75th minute when Tagliafico found Gonzalez in the box, who beat Vargas with a low drive but the effort was ruled out for offside.
Little changed in overtime with a half-chance from Miguel Borja after a flick from Jorge Carrascal but the game was settled by a worthy winner.
Leandro Paredes won the ball in midfield for Argentina with a perfectly timed tackle, found Giovani Lo Celso whose first time pass was perfect for the on-running Martinez who confidently fired home the winner.
Coaches react to final’s unusual situations
Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo said his team had been impacted by the delayed start to the final but conceded that Argentina was creating a golden era.
“I think we had a very good build-up to the game but then some unusual situations started to happen,” he said referring to the 82-minute delay to the match caused by crowd and security problems at the entrances to the stadium. “(The players) warmed up, cooled down, warmed up again, before the kick-off. Then we had 25 minutes of halftime, strange things for both teams,” he said.
The extended interval was to allow for a show from Colombian singer Shakira.
“Generally the tension is felt more by those who have less experience in finals, and it took its toll on us,” Lorenzo added. “It’s not easy to play in a final for everyone, the boys felt a bit of the effort of the whole tournament, they played six games in 21 days.
“I must clarify, all the players who I substituted, all of them, came off with cramp, some in both legs, but all of them asked to be changed,” he added.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni agreed that the long delay had been a strange challenge for his players, too.
“What happened before the game is difficult to explain, difficult to understand, players standing for an hour outside the stadium waiting for their families to come and we had to go out and play the game like that with the whole feeling of not knowing where your family was,” he said. “No messages were arriving, some didn’t answer, we saw the videos that were circulating and we were not unaware of what was happening and in those conditions we went out to play the game and I think the boys from Colombia were also in a similar situation, very strange.”
Lorenzo acknowledged though that while his team were at the start of their journey while Scaloni’s Argentina were creating a golden era.
Lorenzo said the different levels of experience of the two teams was evident in the game at the Hard Rock Stadium.
“Of the two finalists, one is creating an era and it’s not a coincidence. Before this era started, they lost two Copa America finals and a World Cup final,” he said.
The defeat ended an unbeaten run of 28 matches for the team with 25 of those games coming under Lorenzo, who took over the side in mid-2022.
“While Argentina is in a spectacular process, which is no longer a streak, but an era, we have only just begun,” he argued. “Hopefully we’ll play in the final again next time and qualify for the World Cup (in 2026)” he said.
Colombia, which did not qualify for the World Cup in 2022, is well positioned to make the World Cup, sitting in third place in South American qualifying.
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Publish date : 2024-07-15 01:19:39
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