Argentina beats Colombia 1-0 in extra time to win controversial Copa America final

Argentina defeated Colombia 1-0 in extra time tonight in Miami to win its record-breaking 16th Copa America title.

It was Argentina's third straight international tournament victory; the albiceleste won the Copa America in 2021 and the World Cup in 2022 before securing its second straight Copa Sunday evening. It's just the second nation to pull off this feat: Spain managed it first when it won the Euros in 2008, the World Cup in 2010 and the Euros in 2012.

The Copa final proved to be a tough, hard-fought and ultimately even game between two South American powerhouses.

The game got off to a controversial start well before kickoff when ticket-less fans breached Hard Rock Stadium's security and forced the closure of several gates. The closure led to hour-long delays getting fans into the stadium and caused chaos in the 85-degree heat.

After an unprecedented 82-minute delay, the game finally kicked off, but, perhaps due to the frustration of waiting, neither side seemed quite ready to play. It wasn't until the second half that Argentina and Colombia started passing and shooting with intention.

There were 26 fouls in the match and dozens of injuries, but the most concerning injury of the evening happened off the ball with no one around: Lionel Messi's ankle roll. Messi went down in the second half clutching his ankle and was soon subbed off in tears. As the minutes ticked on, Messi's ankle began to swell on the bench and by the time the game ended it was clear that Messi's injury was serious.

Fittingly, though, Argentina was lifted by the substitute who came on in Messi's absence. Lautaro Martinez, the Inter Milan striker and Golden Boot winner at this Copa, found the back of the net in the 112th minute after Colombia mis-controlled the ball in its own half.

The other Argentinian hero was one who'd been around for a while: 38-year-old Angel Di Maria. In his last game for his country, Di Maria played a full 115 minutes of soccer with the best of them. He was subbed off to a standing ovation just before the final whistle and his tears in the moment said it all — he and Argentina were ending a long, difficult (but incredibly rewarding) dance with one another and they were were ending it with yet another piece of silverware.

Colombia played well, but was undone by a lack of finesse in the final minutes of the game — and it simply couldn't compete with Argentina's depth. Its second-place finish is a huge achievement and fans of international soccer will no doubt see Colombia in the World Cup in two years' time.

Serious questions must be asked of CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American soccer, after the chaos of this final.

But no questions must be asked of Argentina. It has answered every single one of them on the field.

The Copa America is over, but the Summer of Soccer continues. The men's Olympic soccer tournament begins on Wednesday, July 24 ; the Leagues Cup, an annual tournament featuring MLS and Liga MX clubs, begins on Friday, July 26th.