Argentina defeated Colombia 1-0 in the 2024 Copa América final, winning thanks to a goal in extra time in the 112th minute of a scoreless contest.
After a turnover, Lautaro Martínez, who had five goals to lead the competition, broke free and fired a shot past Colombia goalie Camilo Vargas.
The tournament’s favorites and defending champions Argentina, who also happened to win the 2022 World Cup, never trailed during the competition.
But when Lionel Messi was substituted in the 66th minute due to an ankle injury, it was obliged to win the championship without perhaps the best player in the history of the game.
More than an hour was wasted before the game as spectators, many of whom were without tickets, barged into the stadium and attempted to enter.
Social media footage showed supporters racing past police officers and stadium staff while leaping over security fences close to the stadium’s southwest entrance. The majority of the fans were dressed in Colombia’s national colors, yellow and red. There were screams coming from the background.
In the blazing heat of South Florida, a few people were observed seeking water and obtaining medical attention. Many fans with tickets had already arrived at their seats when officers managed to shove the mob behind the gates and close the entry, preventing anyone from entering.
Colombia came out firing when the match began and had multiple opportunities to score the first goal, putting Argentina goalie Emiliano Martínez to the test.
Messi, 37, joined Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami last year after spending two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain and more than twenty at Barcelona. He is perhaps the greatest soccer player of all time.
The next World Cup is nearly two years away, and he has bowed out of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The outcome ended Colombia’s 28-match winning run in international competition, which began with a loss to Argentina in February 2022. In the semifinal match against Uruguay on Wednesday night, Colombia’s defender Daniel Muñoz was not available due to his dismissal following an altercation and a second yellow card in the first half.