Messi was forced to miss most of the second half and extra time due to a foot injury. Nevertheless, Argentina defeated Colombia 1-0 on Sunday night to win its second consecutive Copa America championship Lautaro Martínez’s goal in the 112th minute,
“Leo is the greatest player in history,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said through an interpreter. “He never wants to leave the pitch. His ankle is swollen and he wants to continue playing. I like those players. He wants to play not because he is arrogant or selfish. He wants to continue playing because he doesn’t want to leave his teammates. …He was born to be on the pitch.”
Messi appears to have suffered a non-contact injury Running and falling in the 64th minute, The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner covered his face with his hands sat on the bench and started sobbing,
Martínez later ran to the bench and hugged his 37-year-old captain after the goal that propelled Argentina to a record 16th Copa title.
Appearing to limp after the final whistle just after midnight, Messi gestured to his senior teammates to lift the trophy with him: Nicolas Otamendi, 36, and Angel Di Maria, who is retiring from the national team. The three embraced as a waterfall of white confetti erupted.
“The truth is, it’s hard to describe,” Di Maria said. “It was written like this. I told people last night at dinner that I had this dream. That’s why I said it was my last Copa America. I dreamed that we reached the final and we won it so I could go out like this.
Di Maria said, “I will always be grateful to this generation that gave me everything, helped me win what I always wanted and today, I am leaving this way.” “It could not be better.”
In a match that was delayed 1 hour, 22 minutes due to crowd trouble at Hard Rock Stadium, Argentina won their third consecutive major title after the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup, equaling Spain, which won the 2008 and 2012 European Cups. Won the championship. 2010 world cup.
Argentina also ended Colombia’s 28-match unbeaten streak with a 1-0 defeat to the Albiceleste in a February 2022 World Cup qualifier thanks to Martínez’s goal.
Martínez came on in the 97th minute on Sunday and scored on a precise pass from Giovani Lo Celso, after Leandro Paredes took the ball away from the Colombian with a sliding tackle near the center stripe. Paredes exchanged passes with Martínez, then passed the ball to Lo Celso, who passed the ball once Martínez took the ball past defender Carlos Cuesta.
Martínez ran onto the ball, took a touch that sent it into the penalty area and fired a right-footed shot through the outstretched arms of sliding goalkeeper Camilo Vargas for his 29th international goal, his fifth of the tournament, his highest. .
Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo said that many of Colombia’s players are suffering from serious cramps. The temperature was above 80 and the humidity was about 73%.
“Playing a final is not easy. This is not easy for anyone,” Lorenzo said through an interpreter. “He played six matches in 21 days and started feeling the consequences. All of them felt cramps, some of them felt cramps in both legs. They all left the pitch feeling tired and exhausted.”
Making his 39th and possibly last appearance at the Copa América, Messi scored one goal in the tournament. After this he lost in the 36th minute His left ankle was caught by Santiago Arias. But went back on the field three minutes later,
As soon as Messi fell on the field in the second half, he looked towards the bench, it seemed as if his tournament was over. While walking he took off his right shoe and threw it in frustration, and his ankle became swollen. With his right foot bare, he stood near the bench and raised his arms while teammates ran onto the field when Martínez scored.
This caused the start to be delayed from 8 a.m. EDT to 9:22 p.m. crowd control issues Outside the stadium, including a crowd of fans breaking through security gates at the venue to be used for the 2026 World Cup.
A few days after the Uruguayan players were involved in a fight Video from Columbia fans after the semifinal match in Charlotte, North Carolina, showed fans climbing over fences and railings to get inside the championship match, with officials unable to keep track of who had purchased tickets and who had not. .
Hard Rock Stadium released a statement after the game, saying the venue was “proud to host world-class events year-round in a safe and successful manner.”
“We understand that there are disappointed ticket holders who were not able to enter the stadium following the perimeter closure,” the statement said, “and we will work in partnership with CONMEBOL to address those individual concerns.” Ultimately, nothing is more important than the health and safety of all guests and employees, and that will always be our priority.
Colombia was more aggressive and forced goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez to make four saves in the first half, but Argentina began to pose more threat in the second half.
Nicolas Tagliafico thought he had scored in the 75th minute but was ruled offside. Nicolas Gonzalez, who replaced Messi. Vargas made the stop in the 95th minute.
Many players lost their balance during the second half of Sunday’s match. After the half-time performance by Colombian pop star Shakira, heavy amounts of water from sprinklers were poured onto the grass, leading to an extended half-time break.
Due to the performance, intermission was extended from the usual 15 minutes to approximately 25 minutes.
Lorenzo was overtime criticism In keeping with the restrictions given to coaches to return to the field late in the second half at the start of the tournament, before the final match. On Sunday, he said that continuity in halftime rules would be best to “protect the fitness and physical ability of the players.”
Colombia’s James Rodríguez was named player of the tournament with six assists.
,
AP Copa America coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/copa-america
Discover more from news2source
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
