(Miami) After a start to the match delayed by incidents at the entrance to the stadium, Argentina dominated Colombia (1-0, aet) to win the Copa América on Sunday in Miami.
Lionel Messi went off injured in the 66th minutee minute, letting his tears flow on the bench before finding his smile again at the 112the minute in Lautaro Martinez’s winning goal, which allowed the Argentines to win their “triple crown”, three international competitions in a row, after the 2021 Copa and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The afternoon began in chaos, with the organisers complaining about the attitude of some supporters, who suffered in the heat crowd movements and long waits, between arrests and illnesses.
The police used force and arrested several individuals who were trying to enter the stadium apparently without tickets. After several incidents, the doors remained closed for several hours, with emergency workers intervening for several cases of illness due to the heat (around 34 degrees) and the compactness of the crowd.
PHOTO NATHAN RAY SEEBECK, USA TODAY SPORTS VIA REUTERS CON
The start of the match had to be postponed due to chaos during the spectators’ entry.
When the organisers finally reopened the gates, the fans’ entry was again chaotic.
“They treat us like animals, the organisation is non-existent. In any case, nothing was ready to welcome 60,000 people,” regretted Cécilia Cabarelli, an Argentinian supporter.
Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium is scheduled to host seven matches of the next World Cup in 2026, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Tears of Messi
On Wednesday, violence had already broken out in the stands during the Colombia-Uruguay semi-final in Charlotte (North Carolina), leading to initial criticism of the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol).
The match was finally able to start at 9:22 p.m. local time (3:22 a.m. Monday Paris time) with a delay of 1 hour and 22 minutes.
Colombia quickly showed their worth with a superb collective movement from James Rodriguez for a pass from Luis Diaz to Jhon Cordoba, who scored a great shot after a chest control next to Dibu Martinez’s goal (6e).
The eternal Lionel Messi found himself in a perfect position inside the area but his shot was blocked by a defender (20e). La Pulga then suffered a heavy tackle that left him on the ground for several minutes.
PHOTO AGUSTIN MARCARIAN, REUTERS
Lionel Messi had to leave the match in the second half after injuring his right ankle.
A taste of what awaited him in the second half. At the 64e minute, Messi lay down on the pitch after a bad step during a run in midfield, complaining of a sore right ankle.
The 37-year-old eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, world champion in 2022, limped off two minutes later, cheered by the crowd. Once on the bench, he could not contain his tears.
The international future of the Argentine star is uncertain, although he has not ruled out extending his contract with the national team until the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, where he plays for clubs (Inter Miami), Mexico and Canada.
His compatriot Angel Di Maria also left in tears, at 117e minute, for his last selection.
The Argentines had taken the lead a few minutes earlier: Lo Celso, following a pass from Leandro Paredes, sent Lautaro Martinez deep for a winning shot from the right of the area. The three key players in the action came on during the match.
After his celebration, Martinez came to embrace his captain Messi on the bench, who will have led Argentina to its 16e Copa America, a record number of trophies ahead of Uruguay (15).