With star teammate Lionel Messi sidelined with a right ankle injury, substitute Lautaro Martinez scored in extra time in Miami Gardens, Florida on Sunday night to give Argentina a 1-0 win over Colombia for a record 16th Copa America title.
Martinez, who came into the match in the seventh minute of added time, took advantage of a brilliant ball from Giovani Lo Celso to score his tournament-best fifth goal in the 112th minute.
Argentina, the 2022 World Cup champions, defended their 2021 Copa America title and also broke the tie with Uruguay for most titles in the tournament.
Colombia's only title came as the host nation in 2001. The Colombian team's 28-match unbeaten streak (22-0-6) ended on Sunday.
The match was delayed 82 minutes from its 8 p.m. ET kickoff after ticketless fans broke down gates, forcing the stadium to be closed. Later, due to the rush of people trying to get in, some gates were opened to allow everyone, whether they had tickets or not, to enter.
Match ended at 12:09
The 37-year-old Messi left the match in the 66th minute. He left the field without any injury, but after receiving medical help he walked off the field with his right shoe in his hand and was seen crying on the bench.
The injury was originally reported in the 35th minute after a hard challenge by Colombia's Santiago Arias a yard beyond the end line, which hit Messi's foot and then rolled onto his right ankle. Messi was down for a few minutes and then returned to the game.
In front of over 65,000 spectators, Colombia controlled the first half but couldn't find a breakthrough.
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez had to make four saves in the first half and had Jhon Cordoba's shot wide of the left post in the seventh minute.
However, Colombia did not have any other shots on target for the rest of the match, managing only four shots to Argentina's six.
36-year-old midfielder Ángel Di María played his final match for Argentina, ending his 17-year international career with 145 appearances, the third-most in the club's history.
Di María was sent off in the 117th minute.
–Field Level Media
