The South American side added to their World Cup triumph of two years ago by defeating Colombia in extra-time at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Sunday night. A goal deep into extra-time by Lautaro Martinez sealed a 1-0 win and a record-breaking 16th Copa America title. Messi, who was forced off with an injury during the second-half, is the most decorated player of all time and has now captained Argentina to four consecutive trophies.
The win in Miami followed the 2021 Copa America success and the World Cup triumph in Qatar in 2022 as well as the finalissima victory over then-European champions Italy. š¦š· Lionel Messi, most decorated player with 45 titles including one more Copa AmeĢrica from tonight! āØ Argentina will have a chance to retain that trophy, that is played between the winners of Copa America and winners of the Euros, when they take on newly crowned European champions Spain. The match kicked off an hour and 20 minutes late after security closed gates at the stadium, which is also one of the sites for the 2026 World Cup, after fans attempted to enter without tickets.
When it did get underway, Manchester Cityās Julian Alvarez had an early chance for the defending champions but Colombia made the brighter start with Liverpoolās Luis Diaz forcing an early save from Camilo Vargas while Jhon Cordoba struck a post. Alvarez inadvertently blocked an effort from Messi, who went down with what looked like an ankle injury before the break but was able to swing in.
