James Rodriguez It was his sixth assist of the tournament and he was in the 10-man game. Columbia beat Uruguay They advanced to the Copa America final with a 1-0 win in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday. ArgentinaBefore the night falls into chaos Clashes between players and fans.
Argentina wins Canada They won the first leg of the semifinals 2-0 on Tuesday and qualified for Sunday’s final in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Colombia’s win on Wednesday extended their unbeaten streak to 28 games, dating back to a loss to Argentina in February 2022.
It was a hard-fought match that saw seven yellow cards and one red card, with players from both teams scrumming and shoving on the field after the final whistle. Darwin Nunez And about a dozen of my Uruguay teammates. He charged into the stands as fans foughtThe video showed Nunez punching a fan wearing Colombia’s team colors.
Jefferson Lerma He scored the only goal in the 39th minute, heading in a deep corner kick from James in front of 70,644 enthusiastic Colombian fans at Bank of America Stadium.
James became the first South American player since Pele to record six assists in a major tournament. Brazil At the 1970 World Cup.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images
The challenge for Colombia to maintain their dominance will be to see their defenders Daniel Munoz He received a second yellow card for elbowing a Uruguayan player and was sent off in first-half added time. Manuel UgarteMunoz received his first yellow card in the 31st minute from Mexican referee Cesar Ramos for a reckless sliding tackle. Maximiliano Araujo.
Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez Colombia’s goalkeeper missed several chances in the first half Camilo Vargas I don’t have to make my first save until he stops. Nicholas de la CruzHis try came in the 68th minute.
Alternative Luis SuarezUruguay’s all-time record goal scorer with 68 goals had a shot in the 71st minute but it bounced off the outside post and Uruguay struggled to find an opening against 10 men.
Colombian Mateus UribeAnother second-half substitute had a free shot go wide in the 88th minute, and then Uribe’s free shot four minutes into added time bounced off the sliding goalkeeper’s body. Sergio Rocher Then the crossbar.
But just one goal was all it took for Colombia to reach their third Copa America final and their first since 2001, when they won their only title as hosts.
After the match, Uruguayan players were seen on video storming into the stands and exchanging blows with Colombian fans, while police tried to separate the teams.
Uruguay captain Jose Maria Jimenez said the players were trying to protect their families.
“Let me say something before they cut me off and don’t allow me to speak on the microphone. They don’t want me to say anything about what’s going on, but this is a catastrophe,” Jimenez said on the official broadcast. “Please be careful. There are families in the stands, there are newborn babies. This was a catastrophe. There were no police and we had to protect the families.”
Argentina is seeking a record 16th Copa America title. Spain They are the only country to have won three consecutive major titles.
Wednesday’s match was played in 90-degree heat on a court that had been converted from artificial turf to grass in the weeks leading up to the match.
Uruguay is Canada in the third-place match on Saturday.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
