The Argentina national team was crowned champion of the South American Football Championship "Copa America 2024" for the second consecutive time and the 16th in its history, after defeating Colombia 1-0 in the final match. The only goal of the match was scored by Lautaro Martinez in the 112th minute of the game, which went into extra time, resulting in Argentina winning the continental title at the Hard Rock Stadium in the United States on Monday morning.
The match also saw the injury of Argentine legend Lionel Messi in the 64th minute, forcing him to leave the pitch in tears. Fox Sports aired the first footage of Messi's injured foot while he was on the bench after being substituted, showing swelling around his ankle joint due to a strong blow he received during the match.
The South American Football Confederation announced a one-hour delay to the start of the match, which began at 4 a.m. Moscow and Mecca time, instead of the initially scheduled 3 a.m., due to riots that occurred around the stadium in Miami, which hosted the final.
Messi was captured on camera crying on the field.
Argentina successfully claimed the Copa America title for the second consecutive time and the 16th in its history, following their victory in the last edition in 2021, while Colombia's title count remains at just one, which they won in 2001.
