After a thrilling encounter in Charlotte, North Carolina, Colombia emerged victorious to earn a meeting against defending champions Argentina in the Copa America final at Miami Gardens on Sunday.
Jefferson Lerma jumped into the air in the 39th minute and his header left Uruguay behind for the first time in this tournament.
Daniel Muñoz received a second yellow card for elbowing Manuel Ugarte at the end of the first half, leaving Colombia with 10 players, but Nestor Lorenzo’s team held on. somehow.
Television images showed a confrontation between players and fans in the stands after the final whistle, with Uruguay’s Darwin Nunez also in the crowd.
Jack Lang and Stuart James assess the key talking points from the match…
What happened after the game between Uruguay players and Colombia fans?
Several Uruguay players, including Darwin Nunez, clashed with Colombian fans after Wednesday night’s Copa America semi-final.
After the game at Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina, a brawl broke out among supporters in the stands and players entered the area where their families were located in the stadium.
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Uruguay players, Colombia fans clash in the stands after Copa America semi-final
(Buda Mendes, Getty Images)
Liverpool forward Nunez was among those caught in the incident, with Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo and Atletico Madrid defender Jose Maria Jimenez also seen nearby.
Video footage showed Colombian fans throwing objects, including beverage cans, at Uruguayan supporters and players. Before the players could return to the field, security personnel intervened and some of their family members also returned to the field along with them.
“Hopefully the organizers will be a little more careful with our families, people and people around the stadium. Because it happens in every game,” Jimenez said.
“Our families are suffering because of some people who drink very little and do not know how to drink, who behave like children. Hopefully, they’ll take more precautions for the next game so this doesn’t happen again because it’s a disaster.
A quintessential Copa America game?
This was Copa America football – South American football – at its most spectacular, watched and cheered by Colombian crowds so enthusiastically we might as well have been in Medellin. There was only one goal but things were happening wherever you looked, and often even in your peripheral vision.
You had James Rodriguez, who had the left foot like a waiter in a posh restaurant, who opened the game with nearly his millionth assist so far in this tournament.
There was Luis Diaz, whirling like a dervish and attacking the Uruguayan defense as if his life depended on it.
Rodrigo Bentancur played his part, hanging around Rodriguez like a bad smell before limping away. Ugarte also did some pantomime, taking a dig at Munoz, which had exactly the desired effect.
Luis Suarez made his appearance (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
You had Richard Rios going for a dance in the corner, and then collapsing in a heap. The referee allowed play to continue, allowing Uruguay to take a free kick before being surrounded by furious men in yellow shirts. You saw Rios looking at the stretcher, jumping to his feet, then actually needed it a few minutes later, with a little extra time wasted in between.
You had Colombia, Uruguay beat Uruguay, had every chance to get a little more momentum in the second half.
Luis Suarez, head in hands, was a living meme after hitting the post and at the other end was Mateus Uribe, making sure the play continued. twice.
In the main, for what felt like half an eternity, there was Uruguay’s attack and Colombia’s defence, the fans were living it all, literally jumping up and down, the friction was so pure it became an attraction.
Football is goals, imagination, joy. This is also the same. And for 90 minutes plus seven stoppage time, it was absolutely brilliant.
jack lang
Daniel Munoz’s moment of madness
Colombia had a good goal, the game was already halted at half-time and the right-back reacted with one of the oldest tricks in the book: the dark art of provocation.
Manuel Ugarte caught Munoz and may have even pinched him. Either way, it was ridiculous for Munoz to react this way.
The Crystal Palace defender drove his left elbow into Ugarte’s chest and the Uruguayan midfielder fell to the floor.
Darwin Núñez waved his arms in the air to draw the officials’ attention to the incident as Ugarte went down, but in reality, there was no need for any Uruguayan player to appeal: there was only going to be one outcome here. Munoz complained, pointing out that he had been dishonest in the past, but his response was naive at best and downright stupid at worst.
Already on one yellow card, he was playing with fire by getting involved in any off-the-ball incident, let alone throwing an elbow. Ugarte had ‘played’ Munoz and Colombia knew that the balance of the game had completely changed.
stuart james
Darwin Nunez missed opportunities
When he took the Uruguay job, you can understand why Marcelo Bielsa’s first object of business was to install Darwin Nunez as his main striker. Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez? Sorry guys; Football is a running game and you must have feet, especially when your coach wants to press the opponent into another dimension.
Núñez, with his wild-horse energy, is a natural Bielsa forward: he chases people down, makes good runs, and chases down lost objectives as if they were business opportunities. He moves the game forward to create space for Nicolas de la Cruz and Federico Valverde. None of this is really up for debate. Nor is Nunez’s inherent loveliness.
Can you feel a ‘but’ coming? Of course you can. Núñez’s ending here was like Núñez’s ending everywhere else: profoundly, irreparably disorganized.
(Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)
Twice in the first half he should have given Uruguay the lead. The first chance fell on his left foot near the penalty spot. Nunez slammed the ball wide. A few minutes later – one after another, so many intriguing half-chances that we could forgive him for jerking off – he sprinted onto a hopeful pass, collected the ball after a misjudgment by Davinson Sanchez and A stunning, unstoppable attempt was foiled…into the crowd.
The camera cuts to his face. Nunez let out a primal scream. Millions of Uruguayans did the same.
Against Brazil, he avoided missing a header thanks to the hard work of his teammates. This time, La Celeste had to bear the brunt of his profligacy and looked dejected as the final whistle blew.
go deeper
Analyzing Darwin Nunez: from his Liverpool toils to thriving as Uruguay’s leading man
jack lang
Next up for Colombia… Argentina
On paper, it looks like a spectacular final: the world champions face a team that has been unbeaten for more than two years, 28 matches. In fact, Colombia’s last loss was against…Argentina.
It was a completely different Colombia at that time. Nestor Lorenzo had not yet taken over as manager and James Rodriguez was the man of yesterday. Fast forward to present day, Colombia and Rodriguez are unrecognizable.
Lionel Messi was the center of attention ahead of this Copa America, but Rodriguez, who turns 33 on Friday, has stolen the show. He has six assists in five matches and is the undisputed player of the tournament.
James Rodriguez celebrates reaching the final for Colombia (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
However, Colombia will face Argentina without one of their key players: Munoz’s red card against Uruguay means he will miss the final through suspension – a major blow considering his contributions. (two goals and one assist in the Copa America) and without the ball.
As for Argentina, they have won five of their matches so far and have hardly had to break a sweat. You can understand that Messi is still waiting for that special moment. The fact that Argentina have looked so formidable without their talisman having achieved their best form is ominous. Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride.
stuart james
What did Bielsa say?
The Uruguayan coach discussed what went wrong in the game: “We didn’t take full advantage of the moments during the first half when we could have equalised. In these tough matches, details matter. “We should have created more threat in the second half.”
What will happen next?
Colombia will face Argentina in the final on Sunday, July 14 at 8:00 pm ET (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida).
Uruguay advances to the third-place game and will face Canada on Saturday, July 13 at 8:00 pm ET (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina).
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(Top photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
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