Argentina overcame Lionel Messi's late leg injury to beat Colombia 1-0 on Sunday night with a 112th-minute goal from Lautaro Martinez to win their second consecutive Copa America title.
Messi appeared to suffer a non-contact injury after falling while running in the 64th minute and sobbed as he sat on the bench, covering his face with his hands.
After the goal that gave Argentina a record 16th Copa title, Martinez ran to the bench to embrace his captain.
In a match that started an hour and 22 minutes late due to crowd trouble at Hard Rock Stadium, Argentina won their third consecutive major title, following the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup, matching Spain's success in winning the European Championships in 2008 and 2012 before and after the 2010 World Cup.
Argentina also ended Colombia's 28-game unbeaten run, which dates back to a defeat to the Albiceleste in February 2022.
Martinez came on in the 97th minute and scored from a perfect through ball from Giovani Lo Celso after Leandro Paredes had robbed the ball from a Colombian player just short of the centre line.
From just inside the penalty area, Martinez fired a right-footed shot that went between the upraised arms of sliding goalkeeper Camilo Vargas for his 29th international goal and a tournament-high fifth.
The final whistle blew after midnight but Messi, who appeared to be limping, beckoned to veteran team-mates Nicolas Ottamendi, 36, and Angel Di Maria, who is retiring from the national team, to join him in lifting the trophy.
The three embraced as white confetti fell from the sky.
“It's hard to explain, to be honest,” Di Maria said. “That's how it was written. Last night at dinner I told everyone I had a dream, that's why I said this is my last Copa America. I dreamed that I could go to the final, win it and leave like this.”
“I will always be grateful to this generation that gave me everything and helped me achieve what I always wanted, and today I leave,” Di Maria said. “It couldn't get any better than that.”
Argentina's Lionel Messi was forced to leave the game in the second half with an ankle injury and is on the bench.
(Julio Cortez/Associated Press)
Messi, 37 and playing in his 39th and likely final Copa America, scored one goal in the tournament and remained in the game despite being stepped on on the ankle in the first half.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner collapsed on the field in the second half and immediately looked to the bench, seemingly realizing the tournament was over. As he walked away, he took off his right boot and slammed it on the ground in frustration, causing his ankle to swell. He stood next to the bench with his right foot bare, arms raised, waiting for his teammates to run onto the field when Martinez scored.
The start of the match was postponed from 8 p.m. EDT to 9:22 p.m. due to crowd control issues outside the stadium, including a large number of fans breaking through security gates at the stadium, which will host the 2026 World Cup.
Days after Uruguay players got into a brawl with Colombian fans after the semifinal in Charlotte, North Carolina, videos showed fans scaling fences and railings to get inside the final venue and officials struggling to keep track of who had and who had not purchased tickets.
A fan wearing an Argentina jersey prepares to enter Hard Rock Stadium before kickoff on Sunday.
(Lynn Sladky/The Associated Press)
Colombia came on more aggressively, forcing goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez into four saves in the first half, but Argentina began to pose more of a threat in the second half.
Nicolas Tagliafico thought he had scored in the 75th minute but the shot was ruled out for offside, and Nicolas Gonzalez, who came on for Messi, had his shot denied by Vargas in the 95th minute.
Many players slipped up in the second half of Sunday's game, which saw sprinklers spray the turf with water and an extended halftime break after a halftime performance by Colombian pop star Shakira.
