Argentina sealed a record-breaking 16th Copa América title and a third consecutive major trophy after an extra-time strike from Lautaro Martínez fired Lionel Scaloni’s side to a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Colombia in Miami.
With kick-off delayed by over an hour due to major ticketing issues outside the Hard Rock Stadium, both teams wasted no time in asserting their authority on proceedings. First, Julián Álvarez flashed an effort wide for La Selección when well-placed in the box, before at the other end of the pitch, Jhon Córdoba fired a dangerous strike across the face of goal and against the woodwork.
As the first half progressed, Colombia began to dominate possession and look the more threatening of the two sides in the final third. However, for all their neat build-up play, clear-cut chances came at a premium as Jefferson Lerma saw a long-range drive thwarted by Emiliano Martínez. Scaloni’s men attempted to up the ante before HT in pursuit of a breakthrough, but Lionel Messi could only scuff their best opportunity straight into the arms of Camilo Vargas.
Similarly to the opening period, Colombia came flying out the blocks at the start of the second half and Néstor Lorenzo’s side nearly took the lead within two minutes of the restart when Santiago Arias narrowly missed the target with an angled effort. That provided somewhat of a wake-up call for Argentina with time ticking into the final 35 minutes, though La Selección’s hunt for a winner was handed a cruel blow when Messi was forced off with injury midway through the second period. However, his replacement Nicolás González nearly had an immediate impact – poking a finish beyond Vargas only for the offside flag to cut short his celebrations.
The Fiorentina winger continued to threaten, but even he couldn’t find a breakthrough as the final entered extra-time. Upon the restart, González once again came close to opening the scoring for his side, only for the impressive Vargas to stand firm in the Colombia goal. The one-way traffic showed no signs of slowing down and Argentina’s pressure finally paid dividends in the 112th minute when tournament top scorer Martínez latched onto Giovani Lo Celso’s through ball to finish emphatically into the far corner. That proved to be the decisive moment as Scaloni’s men held firm during the closing stages to clinch a historic triumph, retaining their Copa crown while inflicting a first defeat in 29 matches and over two years on Colombia, who fell at the final hurdle.
