Argentina star left dressing room to help mom during 'inhumane' Copa America chaos

In a dramatic showdown that saw Argentina triumph over Colombia with a nail-biting 1-0 victory after extra time, the Copa America final was overshadowed by scenes off the pitch on Sunday night.

The decisive moment came when Lautaro Martinez found the net in the 112th minute, after Lionel Messi had left the field in tears with an injury . But It was the pre-match chaos which saw kickoff delayed and fans from both teams caught up in frightening scenes that made the headlines.

The match faced an 82-minute delay due to fans breaching security at the stadium gate, causing a lockdown and chaotic scenes described as "inhumane" by Argentina and Liverpool star Alex Mac Allister's mother Silvina, who was caught up in the incident.

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She recounted her ordeal to ESPN , revealing her son's concern led him to leave the locker room to assist his family before the game.

"Alexis had to leave the locker room to help us get in because he was worried. I thought [the game] couldn't continue," she shared. "I thought the game wouldn't be played because if the players thought they would resolve this, impossible that it would be played. It was inhumane. We are okay."

"We were in communication with Alexis the whole time, but he said he would stay outside until we would come in. He waited for us until we came in. We hugged him once inside, left him to be calm and told him to win," she added, in a video which was shared by TyC Sports.

It has been reported that an estimated 7,000 ticketless fans gained entry, which resulted in the lockdown of the stadium. But gates had to be reopened as supporters at the front of the queue were beginning to be crushed by those behind them.

"In collaboration with CONMEBOL and law enforcement officers, the decision was made to open the stadium gates for a short period of time to all fans in order to prevent stampedes and serious injury at the perimeter," a spokesman for the Hard Rock Stadium said. "There was serious concern of fans being crushed in an attempt to enter."