Argentina secured their second successive Copa America 2024 title on Monday, defeating Colombia 1-0 in the 2024 final. Lautaro Martinez scored the decisive goal in the second half of extra time, following a goalless draw in regular time.
After breaking the deadlock in the 112th minute, Martinez sprinted to the bench to embrace his captain, Lionel Messi. Unfortunately, Messi was forced to leave the match in the 66th minute due to a non-contact injury he sustained just minutes earlier. The Argentine superstar fell and injured his ankle, prompting the coach to replace him with Nicolas Gonzalez while the scores were still level.
Martinez
The match remained scoreless through normal time, but Martinez, who entered the field in the 97th minute, clinched the Copa America 2024 victory with a goal in the second half of extra time. In the 112th minute, Giovani Lo Celso delivered a perfect through pass to Martinez just outside the box, and the striker’s right-footed shot beat goalkeeper Camilo Vargas for his 29th international goal and a tournament-high fifth.
Messi’s injury, which ended what is likely his final international tournament, left him in tears. He went down off the ball in the 64th minute and exited to a standing ovation from fans at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida. Santiago Arias collided with Messi in the 36th minute, initially appearing to injure Messi’s ankle. Although he received treatment and continued playing, the injury visibly hampered him for the rest of the half.
Earlier in the evening, unruly unticketed fans caused crowd trouble, delaying kickoff by 82 minutes. CONMEBOL confirmed the delayed start was necessary to ensure only ticket holders entered the stadium.