Martinez inspires Argentina to historic Copa America title in chaotic final

A spectacular extra-time winner from substitute Lautaro Martínez ensured Argentina retained their Copa América title, beating Colombia 1-0 in a thrilling match in Miami.

The Golden Boot goal in the 112th minute sealed a brilliant match that simply lacked finishing until his 97th-minute substitute. Martínez took advantage of a pass from Giovani Lo Celso to send the ball into the Colombian net, beating Camilo Vargas.

It was the forward’s fifth goal of the tournament, in a match that also saw Lionel Messi go off injured midway through the second half. Messi, in tears as he left the pitch, returned to lift the trophy for the third major tournament in a row, after a long drought that had threatened to define his international legacy.

The victory took Argentina to their record 16th Copa America title and moved ahead of Uruguay. The joyous scenes on the pitch were marred by scenes of organisational chaos outside the Hard Rock Stadium, however, as police and stadium security struggled to cope with the crowds outside, causing kick-off to be delayed by more than an hour.

The match, scheduled for 20:00 (local time), finally kicked off at 21:22 and both teams were keen to make up for lost time. Argentina’s Julián Álvarez, who would have preferred to start ahead of Martínez in attack, missed his volley in the 45th second. Colombia also showed an attacking will that never gave way, with a beautiful chest and a volley from Jhon Córdoba that hit the post in the 6th minute.

The match was billed as a battle between veterans Messi and James Rodriguez, but it was Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister who perfectly articulated the defending champions’ play, while team-mate Luis Diaz’s powerful runs propelled a sharp Colombian attack. The lead wavered often, but the first half was dominated by the underdogs, thanks to superb passing. A blistering 25-yard strike from Jefferson Lerma forced Emi Martínez to stretch to the post.

Messi seemed certain to score in the 20th minute, but a back-heeled shot from Ángel Di María was deflected by Álvarez. But Messi’s troubles began in the 36th minute, when a tackle from Santiago Arias left him on the ground, clutching his right ankle. He apparently was unable to recover from the injury.

As chances continued to flow throughout the second half, including a left-footed shot from Di María that forced Vargas into a superb save, Messi stumbled in the 65th minute, unchallenged. The captain’s armband went to Di María, 36, who was playing his 145th and final game for Argentina, in six Copa Américas. He too left the pitch in tears, albeit for different reasons, in the 115th minute.

Colombia had a penalty disallowed in the 72nd minute, Córdoba and Mac Allister both going for the same ball, before Argentina scored through Nicolás González, who had replaced Messi. Nicolás Tagliafico, who was on the overpass, was offside in the build-up to the match.

González, more impactful than Messi, then rose to head home a Di María cross, but Álvarez failed to take the risk of scoring late in the 90th minute. In extra time, González forced a huge save after pushing Rodrigo De Paul’s cross towards goal. Vargas quickly covered ground to smother the ball on the goal line.

Despite the heat and humidity, extra time was intense and intense, with neither team looking like they were going to settle for penalties. It felt like a goal was going to be given and before the end, Martínez scored. Colombia made a magnificent contribution to the final, but they are missing such an effective goalscorer.

However, the scenes outside the stadium on Sunday night threaten to overshadow the event altogether. Organisational problems disrupted the tournament, but the worst was saved for the final. Thousands of fans were left crammed outside the stadium in scorching temperatures and humidity. Videos posted on social media showed fans breaking through security checks, others stuck at the gates while children were pulled out of the chaos. Many fans appeared visibly distressed by the ordeal, with videos showing people trying to enter the stadium through air vents or scaling the outer fences.

Stadium officials closed the entrance gates and accused “thousands of ticketless fans of attempting to force their way into the stadium, putting other fans, security personnel and law enforcement in extreme danger.”

Tickets had been traded for $2,000 on the secondary market on Sunday. But there was no proper security perimeter at the stadium or prior ticket screening. As organizers pleaded with fans without tickets to leave the stadium, Fox Sports reported that the families of Argentina’s players were among the victims of the chaos.

Between 20:15 and 20:30 the gates were reopened and the stadium quickly filled up. It had become too dangerous to leave the gates closed any longer. It is not known whether ticket checks took place but, given the speed with which the seats were eventually filled, it appears that in some areas of the stadium they did not take place.

The tournament was organized by Conmebol without much influence from officials on the ground in the United States. But with the World Cup co-hosted by the United States in two summers, there will have to be significant checks to ensure that such scenes do not recur under FIFA’s watch.