[ad_1]
Substitute Lautaro Martinez scored a dramatic winner in extra time to ensure Argentina retained their Copa America title, beating Colombia 1-0 in a thrilling contest in Miami.
The Golden Boot winner calmly struck in the 112th minute to cap a fascinating match that had been lacking a penalty until his introduction in the 97th minute. Martinez latched onto Giovani Lo Celso’s pass and fired the ball into the net past Colombia’s brave Camilo Vargas.
This was the striker’s fifth goal in this tournament. Lionel Messi Messi was forced off midway through the second half and went home in tears, having returned to lift a third consecutive major trophy after a long drought that had seen him fear his international legend status would be destroyed.
The win gave Argentina a record 16th Copa America triumph, one point ahead of Uruguay. However, the joyous scenes on the pitch were marred by distressing scenes of disorganisation outside the Hard Rock Stadium, where police and stadium security struggled to cope with the crowds that gathered outside, delaying kick-off by more than an hour.
The match, originally scheduled to start at 8pm local time, finally got underway at 9:22pm, with both teams eager to make up for lost time. Argentina’s Julián Álvarez had a strange fondness for getting ahead of Martínez in attack, but volleyed wide within 45 seconds. Colombia also showed an attacking intent that never yielded, with Jhon Córdoba’s clever chest volley hitting the post in the sixth minute.
The match was billed as a battle between veteran stars Messi and James Rodriguez, but Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister linked up the goalkeeper’s play smartly, while club teammate Luis Diaz’s powerful run sent Colombia forward. Although Colombia’s advantage was shaky at times, they pulled one back in the first quarter with a great passing advantage from the underdogs. Jefferson Lerma’s powerful 25-yard shot forced Aimi Martinez to dive and tip the ball onto the post.
Messi looked certain to score in the 20th minute, but Angel Di Maria’s back pass hit Alvarez. But Messi’s troubles began in the 36th minute, when a challenge from Santiago Arias left him writhing on the ground, clutching his right ankle. He couldn’t seem to shake the injury.
The second half was filled with chances for both sides – including a left-footed shot from Di Maria that forced Vargas into a fine save – but Messi collapsed to the ground unguarded in the 65th minute. The captain’s armband was handed to the 36-year-old Di Maria, who was playing his 145th game in Argentina’s six Copa America tournaments and his final game of his career. He also left the pitch in tears in the 115th minute, though for a different reason.
Colombia pressed hard for a penalty in the 72nd minute but it was denied as Cordoba and McAllister scrambled for the same ball before Argentina found the net through Messi’s replacement Nicolas Gonzalez. The overlapping Nicolas Tagliafico was offside in the build-up.
González had a greater impact than Messi, leaping high to head Di Maria’s cross back into the net, but Alvarez failed to convert what should have been an easy shot at the end of 90 minutes. In extra time, González pushed Rodrigo De Paul’s return pass towards goal, but it was saved. Vargas made a quick run and saved the ball on the line.
Despite the hot and humid weather, extra time was a tight affair, with neither side looking like going to penalties. The game seemed to be decided before the end, and Martinez got his wish. Colombia made a great contribution in the final, but unfortunately they were without such a great finisher.
However, the scenes outside the stadium on Sunday night threatened to completely overshadow the event. Organisational problems had plagued the tournament, but the worst was saved for the final. Thousands of fans crammed outside the stadium in sweltering heat and humidity. Videos posted on social media showed some fans breaking through security guards, others trapped in gates and children being rescued from the chaos. Many fans were clearly upset by the ordeal. Videos showed people trying to enter the stadium through air vents or climbing over external fences.
Stadium officials closed the entrance gates and blamed “thousands of fans without tickets who attempted to force their way into the stadium, putting other fans, security personnel and law enforcement officers at great risk.”
Tickets were changing hands on the secondary market for as much as $2,000 (2,182 euros) on Sunday. But the stadium had no proper perimeter facilities and no pre-checking of tickets. Fox Sports reported that the Argentine players’ families were also thrown into confusion as organizers pleaded with fans without tickets to leave the stadium.
The gates reopened between 8:15pm and 8:30pm and the stadium quickly filled. It became too dangerous for the gates to close again. It is unclear if ticket checking took place, but given how quickly the seats eventually filled, it seems likely that some areas of the stadium were not doing so.
The tournament was hosted by CONMEBOL, with few complaints from local officials in the US. But with the World Cup to be co-hosted by the US in two summers, significant scrutiny is needed to ensure this doesn’t happen again under FIFA’s watch. – The Guardian
[ad_2]
Source link
