Argentina wins record 16th Copa America title, beats Colombia 1-0

At Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, defending champions Argentina defeated Colombia 1-0 in extra time, due to a late goal from substitute Lautaro Martínez. The result gave Argentina a record 16th Copa América title, despite the loss of Lionel Messi.

Martinez, the top scorer for Inter Milan and the competition, leapt above Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas in the 112th minute after grabbing a neat through pass from Giovani Lo Celso.

In the 64th minute, Messi appeared to have suffered a non-contact injury when falling and covering his face with his hands while sitting on the bench.

Following the goal that helped Argentina win its record 16th Copa title, Martínez hurried to that bench to give his captain a hug.

Messi, who is 37 years old, made his 39th and perhaps final Copa America participation. He scored one goal during the competition. After being stepped on in the first half, he went down, but he finished the match.

Argentina won their third consecutive major title after winning the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup. They faced Spain, who won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships surrounding the 2010 World Cup, in a game that began more than 75 minutes late due to crowd disturbances at Hard Rock Stadium.

Additionally, Argentina ended Colombia's 28-game winning streak that began with a defeat to the Albiceleste in February 2022.

Due to crowd management concerns outside the stadium, including large groups of fans breaking through security gates at a location that will host the 2026 World Cup, the start time was moved up from 8 p.m. EDT to 9:22 p.m.

In Sunday's match, many players lost their footing in the second half. After Colombian pop sensation Shakira's halftime performance, the turf was severely misted with sprinklers, resulting in a longer halftime break.