In a nail-biting Copa America quarterfinal, Colombia secured a 1-0 victory over Uruguay on Wednesday night, earning their first spot in the final since their only championship win in 2001. Jefferson Lerma's decisive goal in the 39th minute proved enough for Colombia to hold on, despite playing with ten men for the entire second half after Daniel Munoz was ejected for a second yellow card.
The match, held at Bank of America Stadium in front of a roaring crowd of 70,644 supporters clad in yellow jerseys and waving flags, was marked by intense confrontations, resulting in seven yellow cards and one red. Tensions flared as players from both teams clashed, even spilling into the stands in the final moments.
Colombia's unbeaten streak reached a team record of 28 games, the longest in men's international football, surpassing their previous run from 1992-94. The team's resilience was further showcased by James Rodriguez, who tallied six assists in the tournament, triple that of any other player.
With the final scheduled for Sunday night in Miami Gardens, Florida, Argentina aims to capture their record 16th Copa America title, hoping to join Spain in winning three consecutive major championships.
The match saw key moments including Munoz's ejection following a reckless tackle and an elbow, Rodriguez's yellow card for disputing the referee’s decisions, and several near-misses from Uruguay's Luis Suarez and Mateus Uribe.
As Colombia prepares to face a formidable Argentine side led by Lionel Messi, fans around the world eagerly await what promises to be a thrilling conclusion to the Copa America tournament.
Reference(s):
Colombia top Uruguay 1-0 and will face Argentina in Copa America final
cgtn.com
