Florida
\nArgentina won a record 16th Copa America title by beating Colombia thanks to an extra-time goal from Lautaro Martinez on Sunday after the final was delayed for over an hour due to thousands of ticketless fans trying to get into the stadium.
\nMartinez, who came off the bench in extra time, latched onto a precise through ball from Giovani Lo Celso before lifting his effort over advancing Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas in the 112th minute to spark wild celebrations at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida.
\nArgentina\u2019s latest title comes on the back of their triumphs at the 2022 World Cup and 2021 Copa America, and gives eight-times Ballon d\u2019Or winner Lionel Messi the perfect sendoff in what is likely his last international tournament.
\nThe win, which saw Argentina move ahead of Uruguay after the pair had been tied for 15 Copa titles, marked Angel di Maria\u2019s final international match.
\nDefender Nicolas Otamendi, 36, is also set to end his international career.
\n\u201cThe truth is, this was written, it was this way,\u201d 36-year-old Di Maria said.
\n\u201cI dreamed it, I dreamed that I would arrive to the final and win it and retire in this way.
\n\u201cI have so many beautiful feelings and I am eternally grateful to this generation and today I am leaving in this way with a title.\u201d
\nSouth American football\u2019s governing body CONMEBOL pushed the start time of the match back three times after a video on social media showed security scuffling with fans as they ran across the concourses and attempted to breach the gates of the stadium.
\nA Reuters witness saw several people being ejected from the stadium by security staff at the venue, which will host matches during the 2026 World Cup.
\n\u201cIt was hard because many had their families outside, they didn\u2019t know what was going on,\u201d Argentina\u2019s Cristian Romero told TyC Sports.
\n\u201cIt didn\u2019t seem like a final, there was a lot of commotion and a lot of concern.\u201d
\nThe tournament had already been marred by a number of organisational issues.
\nUruguay\u2019s players were involved in clashes with Colombian fans earlier this week, while an assistant referee had to be hospitalised after collapsing in hot and humid conditions while officiating a group-stage match.
\nCagey affair
\nColombia started the match by pressing high up the pitch and Jhon Cordoba hit the post in the seventh minute before Jefferson Lerma and Richard Rios had long-range efforts saved by Emiliano Martinez.
\nMessi appeared to hurt his ankle in the 36th minute after a collision with Santiago Arias and while he got back to his feet after receiving treatment he was clearly hampered for the remainder of the half.
\nColombia went on the offensive again in the second half with Arias and Davinson Sanchez coming close to scoring.
\nArgentina soaked up the pressure well but were dealt a blow in the 66th minute when Messi limped off due to an ankle injury.
\n\u201cMessi had to leave because of that ankle problem but finally we were able to give him some joy,\u201d added Di Maria, who jointly lifted the trophy alongside captain Messi and Otamendi at the presentation ceremony.
\n\u2018Deserve more\u2019
\nThe defeat ended a Colombian record 28-match unbeaten streak for Nestor Lorenzo\u2019s side, whose last loss also came against \u2018La Albiceleste\u2019 in February 2022.
\n\u201cIt hurts after a tournament that the whole team fought for, it hurts when you compete to win and we felt we deserved more,\u201d defender Sanchez said after Colombia\u2019s hopes of winning a first Copa America title since 2001 were dashed.
\n\u201cWe wanted to give the victory to a country that deserves it, Colombia deserves everything, and we leave empty-handed, but we will go on.\u201d
\nColombia captain James Rodriguez was named player of the tournament after notching six assists to break Messi\u2019s record of five in a single edition of the Copa America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Florida Argentina won a record 16th Copa America title by beating Colombia thanks to an extra-time goal from Lautaro Martinez on Sunday after the final was delayed for over an hour due to thousands of ticketless fans trying to get into the stadium. Martinez, who came off the bench in extra time, latched onto a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418730,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-418715","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n