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Argentina Celebrates Another Copa America Victory!
Argentina has become, one again, the champions of America. After a tense, equal match against Colombia, the reigning winner of the Copa America came victorious with a 1-0 getting to raise the trophy once again.
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Copa America Final: A Delayed Start and Messi’s Injury
The day started with the left foot. The match was supposed to begin at 8 pm at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. However, it was delayed one hour and a half due to unrest outside the stadium, when fans without tickets seeped and got in.
This caused the police to stop people who did have their tickets from getting in, and other fans pushing down the entrance door, creating a total and dangerous chaos. Finally, after the delay, the players got into the field to sing their respective hymns, which were interpreted by Argentinian singer Abel Pintos and Colombian artist Karol G.
After it, the ball began to run and started a back and forth of shots on goal, great passes and assists, and just great skills from both sides of the field. However, none of the teams were able to score in the reglementary 90 minutes of the match.
It’s worth mentioning that this Copa America final had its first halftime show with Colombian artist Shakira making the whole stadium move their hips to amazing hits like Hips Don’t Lie, TQG, Te Felicito and Puntería. However, this performance caused the halftime to span around 25 minutes, instead of the traditional 15.
With Lionel Messi out after an ankle injury that left him in tears, the players tired and a filled stadium waiting to give Ángel Di María the happiest farewell, Argentina still had 30 minutes of the extra time.
Argentina’s Victory: Copa America Champions Again!
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After both teams made their respective player changes, Lionel Scaloni chose Lautaro Martínez, the scorer of the match, to go in. And he delivered. The player made his shoot and the ball went into the soccer goal in the minute 112, with just 8 left to play.
With just one goal, Argentina managed to become the American champion once again. After tears and shouts of celebration, not only from the players, but from the whole stadium, Lautaro was awarded the Cup’s Scorer award, Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez received the Best Goalkeeper, and Colombian James Rodríguez was given his well deserved award for Best Player after his outstanding performance along the whole tournament.
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For Argentina, this match marked the end of one of the most successful cycles in history. Lionel Scaloni’s team had already won the Copa América in 2021, the Finalissima, and the World Cup in 2022, and now they won their second consecutive Copa América. This match was also the farewell to Ángel “Fideo” Di María, who announced his retirement from the National Team after this competition, adding another title to his amazing career.
It was another significant title for Lionel Messi, though questions lingered about his future in the sport and whether he would participate in the next World Cup. This final was special for the Albiceleste, as it crowned them the biggest winner of the competition, with 16 titles.
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Argentina had been on a remarkable 10-game unbeaten streak, with their last defeat occurring in November 2023 against Uruguay in the South American Qualifiers, losing 2-0. Just two losses in five years.
Throughout the tournament, Argentina remained undefeated, advancing as the leader of Group A, achieving three victories against Canada, Chile, and Peru. In the quarterfinals, they triumphed over Ecuador through penalties, thanks to a brilliant performance by goalkeeper Dibu Martínez.
In the semifinals, they defeated Canada once more, with a goal from Messi and another from Julián Álvarez, now facing a Colombian team that matched their intensity and skill. In total, Argentina had nine goals for and only one against, with their top scorer in the tournament being Lautaro Martínez, with five goals.
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