Argentina defeated Colombia 1-0 to win their 16th Copa America title and have gone past Uruguay, who have 15 titles under their belt. On 15th July 2024, Argentina defeated Colombia in a slugfest at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
The scoreline read 1-0 and it was one of the most tense and gripping football encounters in a very long time. Even though Colombia dominated possession and the shots taken were more than Lionel Messi and co. it was Lautaro Martinez’s goal in the 112th minute that resulted in a victory for Argentina.
But it wasn’t a walk in the park for Argentina in this game as their footballing maestro, Lionel Messi had picked up a non-contact leg injury in the 64th minute of the game. He was seen in excruciating pain and had to be taken off as he decided not to prolong his injury.
Angel Di Maria, who will be retiring post the Copa America title, said that the victory was “hard to describe”.
“The truth is, it’s hard to describe. It was written like that. I told the guys last night at dinner that I dreamt it. That’s why I said it was my last Copa America. I dreamt we made it to the final and we won it so I could go out this way,” said Angel di Maria, post the game.
“I’ll be always grateful to this generation who gave me everything, helped me win what I always wanted and today, I am leaving like this. It could not be better,” he added.
Interestingly, Colombia, who were in red-hot form in international football, had a snap to their 28-game unbeaten streak. It was Argentina itself who had beaten Colombia last time in 2022, in a FIFA World Cup Qualifier game and it was Lautaro Martinez, who had netted the goal for Albiceleste.
Argentina have now won 3 major titles at the international front in the past 3 years. They have won the Copa America title on 2 occasions (2021 and 2024) and had beaten France in the FIFA World Cup 2022 finals at the Lusail Stadium in Doha.
Despite the scorching heat and humidity in Miami during the course of this game, Argentina fans would be bringing out their drums and trumpets as they celebrate a fascinating win, with the legendary Lionel Messi, being at the centre stage of it.
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