Colombia ended their 23-year wait for a major tournament final with a 1-0 victory over Uruguay in an exhilarating Copa America 2024 semi-final at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. They will now face Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the final in Miami.
The Colombian players were visibly emotional, celebrating their historic win in front of passionate fans who packed the stadium. James Rodriguez’s jubilant reaction symbolised the team’s journey to their first Copa America final since 2001. Colombia will enter the final defending a remarkable 28-game unbeaten streak, their longest in football history.
Jefferson Lerma’s first-half header from a corner gave Colombia the lead, and despite playing with 10 men for the entire second half after Daniel Munoz was sent off, they held firm. Uruguay, despite dominating possession, failed to capitalise on their opportunities, with Darwin Nunez missing several chances. Luis Suarez came close to equalising late in the game, but his effort struck the post.
In Wednesday’s other semi-final, goals from Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez secured Argentina’s 2-0 win over Canada, setting up a showdown with Colombia in the final. Uruguay will now meet Canada in the third-place playoff.
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