MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi threw up his arms, the trophy bobbing in his hands, and the tears of frustration shed just over an hour earlier gave way to laughs and hugs for the two-time Copa America and World Cup champion.
Messi was forced to sit out the second half and most of extra time because of a foot injury, but Argentina still beat Colombia 1-0 on Sunday night to win their second consecutive Copa America title. Lautaro Martínez’s goal in the 112th minute.
“Leo is the best player of all time,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said through a translator. “He doesn’t want to leave the pitch. His ankle is swollen, but he wants to keep playing. I like players like that. He wants to play not because he’s selfish or self-centered, he wants to keep playing because he doesn’t want to leave his teammates. … He was born to be on the pitch.”
Messi appears to have sustained a non-contact injury. Falls while running in the 64th minuteThe eight-time Ballon d’Or winner covered his face with his hands. I sat on a bench and cried.
After the goal that gave Argentina a record 16th Copa America title, Martinez ran to the bench and embraced his 37-year-old captain.
The final whistle blew after midnight, and Messi, who appeared to be limping, beckoned to veteran teammates Nicolas Ottamendi, 36, and Angel Di Maria, who is retiring from the national team, to join him in lifting the trophy. The three embraced as white confetti fell.
“It’s hard to explain, to be honest,” Di Maria said. “That’s how it was written. Last night at dinner I told everyone I had dreamed about it. That’s why I said this is my last Copa America. I dreamed that I would reach the final, win it and leave like this.”
“I will always be grateful to this generation that gave me everything and helped me achieve what I always wanted, and today I leave,” Di Maria said. “It couldn’t get any better than that.”
In a match that started an hour and 22 minutes late due to crowd trouble at Hard Rock Stadium, Argentina won their third consecutive major title, following the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup, matching Spain’s success in winning the European Championships in 2008 and 2012 before and after the 2010 World Cup.
Argentina also ended Colombia’s 28-game unbeaten run, which dates back to a 1-0 loss to the Albiceleste in a World Cup qualifier in February 2022, with another goal from Martinez.
Martinez came on in the 97th minute on Sunday and scored on a perfect pass from Giovani Lo Celso after Leandro Paredes made a sliding tackle to steal the ball from a Colombian player near the center line. Paredes exchanged passes with Martinez and fed Lo Celso, who then played a one-touch through ball for Martinez to shoot past defender Carlos Cuesta.
Martinez ran towards the ball, got a feel for it in the penalty area and fired a right-footed shot through the upraised arms of sliding goalkeeper Camilo Vargas for his 29th international goal and fifth in the tournament.
Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo said many Colombian players finished the game with severe cramps. Temperatures were in the high 80s Fahrenheit and the humidity was about 73 percent.
“It’s not easy to play a final. It’s not easy for anybody,” Lorenzo said through a translator. “The players played six games in 21 days and they were starting to feel the effects. All of them had cramps, some in both legs. All of them left the pitch tired and exhausted.”
Messi, in his 39th and likely final Copa America appearance, had one goal in the tournament when he went down in the 36th minute. His left ankle was caught by Santiago Arias but He returned to the field three minutes later..
As Messi collapsed on the field in the second half, he immediately looked towards the bench, seemingly realising the tournament was over. As he walked away, he took off his right boot and slammed it on the ground in frustration, causing his ankle to appear swollen. He stood by the bench with his right foot bare, his arms raised, as teammates ran onto the field as Martinez scored.
The start was postponed from 8pm to 9:22pm. Crowd control issues Outside the stadium, a large group of fans broke through security gates at the stadium, which will host the 2026 World Cup.
A few days after the Uruguayan Caught in a brawl After the semifinal in Charlotte, North Carolina, Colombian fans were seen on video climbing fences and railings to get inside the stadium for the final, but officials were unsure who had purchased tickets and who had not.
Hard Rock Stadium released a statement after the game saying the venue “pride itself on safely and successfully hosting world-class events year-round.”
“We understand the disappointment of ticket holders who were unable to enter the stadium after the border was closed,” the statement said. “We will continue to work with CONMEBOL to address their individual concerns. Ultimately, nothing is more important than the health and safety of all our guests and staff, which remains our number one priority at all times.”
Colombia came on more aggressively, forcing goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez into four saves in the first half, but Argentina began to pose more of a threat in the second half.
Nicolas Tagliafico thought he had scored in the 75th minute but the shot was ruled out for offside, and Nicolas Gonzalez, who came on for Messi, had his shot denied by Vargas in the 95th minute.
Many players slipped up in the second half of Sunday’s game, which saw sprinklers spray the turf with water and an extended halftime break after a halftime performance by Colombian pop star Shakira.
Because of the performance, halftime was extended from the usual 15 minutes to about 25 minutes.
Lorenzo is Criticism of extra time Ahead of the final, he pointed to earlier tournament discipline given to coaches who returned to the pitch late in the second half, and said on Sunday that standardising the half-time rules was the best way to “protect the fitness and athleticism of our players”.
Colombia’s James Rodriguez recorded six assists and was named MVP of the tournament.
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AP Copa America coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/copa-america
