Argentina wins the 2024 Copa América in a tightly contested final against a strong Colombia.
Both teams went through a first half without being able to gain an advantage in terms of goals.
Néstor Lorenzo’s team started with significant ball possession and had the first two clear chances in the final of the 48th edition of the CONMEBOL Copa América.
In the 6th minute, a shot by Jhon Córdoba hit the post, and in the 12th minute, a corner taken by James Rodríguez (the tournament’s top assist provider) resulted in a double header in the box that Dibu Martínez managed to control.
Argentina’s first chance came through their two veterans: in the 19th minute, Di María broke free on the left and his pass back ended with a shot by Messi that, after a deflection, posed no major trouble for Vargas.
Argentina managed to balance possession, and Colombia had their two best chances from outside the box: in the 33rd minute, a shot by Lerma was tipped by Dibu with his fingertips; in the 40th minute, a long and dry shot by Richard Ríos was safely secured low by the Aston Villa goalkeeper.
As the first half came to a close, Nicolás Tagliafico headed a cross, but it went over Vargas’ goal.
In the 47th minute, Arias had a clear chance with a wide shot, and two minutes later, a good team combination ended with Mac Allister assisting Di María, whose shot couldn’t get past Vargas.
In the 57th minute, Argentina passed the ball around, moved it from right to left, and Di María fired a powerful cross shot that Vargas managed to deflect for a corner.
In what could have been his last match in the Copa América, Lionel Messi (the player with the most appearances in the tournament’s history) was visibly in pain and was substituted by Nicolás González in the 65th minute.
Ten minutes later, Nico González himself received a back pass from Tagliafico and put his shot into the net.
However, the VAR review showed that the fullback was offside, and the game remained 0-0.
The 0-0 scoreline took the match into extra time.
Argentina began with dominance, but Colombia halted Argentina’s momentum, and possession and chances were evenly distributed. However, neither team managed to break the deadlock in the first period of extra time.
A superb interception by Paredes in midfield and a swift assist from Lo Celso resulted in Lautaro Martínez finding himself one-on-one with Vargas, and he didn’t miss: his shot found the back of the net, marking his fifth goal in the Copa América (Golden Boot winner in this tournament).
With 5 minutes remaining, Di María (voted as the best player of the match) was substituted by Otamendi and received applause in his final match wearing the Argentine national team jersey.
It ended 1-0 for Argentina, securing their 16th title in this tournament, the most successful in its history.
