Argentina claimed its second consecutive Copa America title, triumphing over Colombia 1-0 on Sunday night with Lautaro Martínez scoring the decisive goal in the 112th minute.
Lionel Messi endured a leg injury in the second half, which saw him benched after the 64th minute when he fell and held his face in his hands.
Despite the injury, Martínez ran to hug Messi on the bench after netting the goal that secured Argentina’s 16th Copa title.
The final match, held at Hard Rock Stadium, started 1 hour and 20 minutes late due to crowd disturbances, including fans breaching security gates and entering through ventilation systems.
Argentina emerged as the champion after the match extended to 75 minutes longer than expected with extra time.
This victory marked Argentina’s third straight major title following the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup in Miami, equating Spain’s achievements from the European Championships in 2008 and 2012 around the 2010 World Cup.
The first half concluded in a goalless draw, with Colombia dominating the offensive play.
Emiliano Martinez was forced to make four saves in the first 45 minutes, having faced minimal challenges throughout the tournament.
While Messi was not at his best, his presence remained a constant threat. However, Argentina struggled to create offensive opportunities.
The second half mirrored the first until Messi, after an earlier injury scare, was substituted in the 66th minute with an ankle injury, replaced by Nico Gonzalez.
Messi, visibly emotional, sat on the bench with ice wrapped around his ankle. Six minutes later, Argentina faced another injury setback when right-back Gonzalo Montiel had to be replaced by Nahuel Molina.
Despite Argentina creating several opportunities on cutbacks, neither team managed to score in regulation time.
Gonzalez came close in the 95th minute of extra time, but his shot lacked the necessary conviction.
Colombia had to substitute all six of its starting forwards and midfielders, including key players like James Rodriguez, Luis Diaz, and Jefferson Lerma.
The breakthrough came in the 112th minute when Lautaro Martinez, who entered the game in the 97th minute, capitalized on a pass from Giovani Lo Celso to score his fifth goal of the tournament.
This victory allowed Argentina to surpass Uruguay for the most Copa America wins, now holding 16 titles.
This win followed their triumph over Brazil in 2021 and the 2022 World Cup victory.
This match likely marked the final appearance of Angel Di Maria for the national team as he plans to retire from international play and focus on his club career.
Colombia, with just one Copa America win in 2001, saw their impressive 28-game unbeaten streak, which included 22 wins and six draws, come to an end.
Their last defeat was in February 2022, also against Argentina.
Meanwhile, the USMNT was eliminated from the Copa America tournament after a 1-0 loss to Uruguay.
