After a delayed start due to incidents at the entrance to the stadium, Argentina dominated Colombia (1-0, aet) to win the Copa America on Sunday in Miami, United States. Lionel Messi went off injured in the 66th minute, letting his tears flow on the bench before smiling again in the 112th minute when Lautaro Martinez scored the winner, which allowed the Argentines to win their “triple crown”, three international competitions in a row, after the 2021 Copa and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Police officers and security personnel used force and arrested several individuals who were trying to enter the stadium apparently without tickets. After several incidents, the stadium gates remained closed for several hours. Rescue workers intervened for several people who were feeling unwell due to the heat (around 34 degrees) and the compactness of the crowd.
Kick-off delayed
When the organizers finally reopened the gates, the entrance of the supporters was again chaotic, leading to tears and anger from many fans. “They treat us like animals, the organization is non-existent. In any case, nothing was ready to welcome 60,000 people,” regretted Cécilia Cabarelli, an Argentinian supporter.
On Wednesday, violence had already broken out in the stands during the Colombia-Uruguay semi-final in Charlotte (North Carolina), leading to strong criticism against the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol). The match was finally able to start at 9:22 p.m. local time, 1 hour and 22 minutes late.
Colombia quickly showed their worth with a superb team move from James Rodriguez for a pass from Luis Diaz to Cordoba, who scored a great shot after a chest control just wide of Dibu Martinez’s goal (6th). The eternal Lionel Messi found himself in a perfect position inside the area but his shot was blocked by a defender (20th). La Pulga then suffered a heavy tackle that left him on the ground for several minutes.
A taste of what awaited him in the second half. In the 64th minute, Messi lay down on the pitch after a bad footing during a run in midfield, complaining of a very swollen right ankle a few minutes later. The 37-year-old eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, world champion in 2022, limped off two minutes later, cheered by the crowd. Once on the bench, he could not hold back his tears.
Goodbye for Di Maria
His compatriot Angel Di Maria also left in tears, in the 117th minute, for his last selection. “I had dreamed of reaching the final and winning it, then stopping like this,” commented the former Paris SG player.
The Argentines had taken the lead a few minutes earlier: Giovani Lo Celso, following a pass from Leandro Paredes, sent Lautaro Martinez deep for a winning shot from the right of the area. The three key players in the action came on during the match.
After his celebration, Martinez, the tournament’s top scorer, came to embrace his captain Messi on the bench, before he lifted the trophy for the 16th Copa America for Argentina, a record ahead of Uruguay (15). Colombia, who were on a 28-game unbeaten run and chasing their second Copa, received as a small consolation the trophy for best player of the tournament for their leader James Rodriguez.