- Argentina earned its 16th title in the tournament, becoming the team with the most titles in the competition.
- Scaloni won his fourth title as Argentina's coach.
Highlights
- Di María played his last match for the national team.
- Messi was substituted in the second half.
- Lautaro Martínez scored the only goal and finished as the tournament's top scorer.
Argentina and Colombia played a competitive first half in which neither team managed to gain a clear advantage.
The team led by Néstor Lorenzo started with significant possession and had the first two clear chances in the final of the 48th edition of 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 area - the second by Cuesta - which Dibu Martínez managed to control.
Argentina's first chance came from its two historic players: in the 19th minute, Di María broke away on the left, and his cut-back pass ended with a shot by Messi that, after a deflection, reached Vargas without much trouble.
Argentina managed to balance possession, and Colombia had their two clearest chances from outside the box: in the 33rd minute, a shot by Lerma ended with Dibu tipping it with his fingertips; in the 40th minute, a long and powerful shot by Richard Ríos was securely handled down low by the Aston Villa goalkeeper.
At the end of the first half, Nicolás Tagliafico headed a cross (which had come from a foul on him) but it went over Vargas's goal.
The second half started intensely from both sides: in the 47th minute, Arias had a clear chance with a looping shot that went just wide, and two minutes later, a good team combination ended with Mac Allister assisting Di María: the Argentine's shot couldn't beat Vargas though, who closed down the goal well.
In the 57th minute, Argentina passed the ball around, moved it from right to left, and Di María took a powerful, shot that Vargas managed to tip to a corner.
In what could be his last match at CONMEBOL Copa América™, Lionel Messi (the player with the most matches in the tournament's history) was substituted, visibly in pain, in the 65th minute for Nicolás González.
Ten minutes later, González received a backward pass from Tagliafico and his left-footed shot went into the goal. VAR review showed that the fullback was offside and the match remained 0-0.
The end of regular time saw Argentina dominate and provided two new opportunities for substitute Nico González: a header went just wide of the far post and a shot inside the box went over the crossbar. The 0-0 scoreline took the match to extra time.
During the extension of regular time, Argentina started dominantly and Nico González, this time after a dribble by Rodrigo De Paul, shot with his right foot from a penalty spot and Vargas managed to make the save without giving up a rebound.
Colombia halted Argentina's momentum, and they started sharing possession and chances, but neither team could break the deadlock in the first extra period.
A huge tackle by Paredes in midfield and a quick assist from Lo Celso ended with Lautaro Martínez one-on-one with Vargas and the "Bull" didn't miss: his shot went in and marked his fifth goal at CONMEBOL Copa América™ (Golden Boot in this tournament).
With five minutes left, Di María (chosen as the best player of the match) was substituted by Otamendi and received an ovation in his last match with the Argentina national team shirt.
It was a 1-0 final for Argentina and the 16th star at this tournament for Argentina, the competitions most frequent winner.
Lineups and match information
Argentina: Emiliano Martínez; Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández; Ángel Di María, Lionel Messi, Julián Álvarez.
Substitutes used: Nicolás González, Nahuel Molina, Giovani Lo Celso, Leandro Paredes, Lautaro Martínez, Nicolás Otamendi.
Yellow cards: Alexis Mac Allister, Giovani Lo Celso.
Coach: Lionel Scaloni.
Colombia: Camilo Vargas; Santiago Arias, Carlos Cuesta, Davinson Sánchez, Johan Mojica; Jefferson Lerma, Richard Rios, Jhon Arias; James Rodríguez, Luis Díaz, Jhon Córdoba.
Substitutes used: Rafael Santos Borré, Kevin Castaño, Juan Fernando Quintero, Miguel Ángel Borja, Mateus Uribe, Jorge Carrascal.
Yellow cards: Jhon Córdoba, Miguel Borja.
Coach: Néstor Lorenzo.
Gol: 112’ – Lautaro Martínez (ARG)
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida
Superior Player of the Match Michelob Ultra: Ángel Di María (Argentina)
