In a final marked by aspects unrelated to football and its extension, Argentina’s national team defeated Colombia 1-0 in overtime to retain its crown in the tournament.
A total of 80 minutes of delay for the start of the match as a result of riots and conflicts around the Hard Rock stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, due to repeated attempts to admit fans without tickets or fake ones, raised the tensions of a final unfortunately remembered largely for non-sporting aspects.
At the beginning of the game, Colombia had the first great opportunity to open the scoreboard in the sixth minute when striker Jhon Córdoba crashed his shot after a pass from James Rodríguez and put goalkeeper Emiliano “El Dibu” Martínez on alert.
After the early scare, the Albiceleste settled on the field and began to control the ball while the Cafeteros waited with a low block in defense very well positioned, although little by little they also took possession of the ball.
The 0-0 score remained at the end of the first half despite skirmishes by both teams, unable to maintain the intensity of the initial moments and focused on analyzing in detail each tactical positioning of the opponent.
Attempts by both teams scared the areas but without turning the chances into goals in the midst of a match that saw Argentine star Lionel Messi leave the field in the 66th minute due to injury.
The 90 minutes were not enough to define the winner of the tournament and with fatigue on their backs, both Argentines and Colombians played extra time in search of the last gasp in pursuit of the crown.
When the lottery of penalties loomed in Miami, Lautaro “El Toro” Martínez scored his fifth goal of the Cup in the 112th minute with a brutal attack, giving Argentina the 16th crown in these competitions and making it the nation with the most trophies, leaving Uruguay in second place with 15.
Almost three hours had to elapse for the reigning champions of the 2021 edition to repeat their title and bid farewell in style to Ángel Di María, one of their iconic players, who said goodbye to the national team.
