Defending champions Argentina overcame the loss of Lionel Messi in the final match to win a record 16th Copa America championship. They beat Colombia by 1-0, thanks to a late extra-time goal from a substitute Lautaro Martinez at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
The Copa America final on Sunday witnessed Argentia create history. Martinez’s great finish, his fifth goal of the tournament, sealed the match in Argentina’s favor.
The match was plagued with security and crowd problems and it led to an 82-minute delay to the final.
Messi appeared to suffer a noncontact injury while running and falling in the 65th minute of the game. He covered his face with his hands when he was sitting outside on the bench.
After scoring the goal, Martinez ran to the bench and hugged his captain. The Martinez goal allowed Argentina to surpass Uruguay for the most Copa America titles.
Martinez scored the perfect goal in the 97th minute from the perfect pass from Giovani Lo Celso.
With this win, Angel Di Maria is retiring from international football. The 36-year-old Argentinian star announced his retirement last year. The defender Nicolas Otamendi, 36 is also set to bid goodbye to his international career.
With the win, Argentina won its third major title in a row following the Copa America win in 2021, and the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar.
They also stopped the 28-game unbeaten streak of Colombia dating back to February 2022.
This may also be the last Copa America match for Lionel Messi who is 37. He had scored only one goal in the tournament.
