Argentina v Colombia: Copa América 2024 final – live updates | Copa América

Spread the love


Key events

53 min: CHANCE for Colombia. Jhon Arias takes a long shot that’s deflected out for a corner. The ball sails to the far post for Cordoba, who heads it back across to Sanchez, who rises to get his head on it but can’t keep the shot under the bar.

Just a reminder – this game would have extra time, even though previous rounds did not.

Share

51 min: Everyone’s whacking each other with elbows and forearms, and everyone’s down injured. And some people are slipping on the wet turf where the sprinklers operated. Ugly stuff.

Share

49 min: CHANCE for Argentina, with Mac Allister slicing through the penalty area. The ball ends up at Di Maria’s feet while Colombian keeper Vargas does all he can to chase while the ball is out of his reach. Vargas ends up cutting off Di Maria’s shooting angle and making the save.

Share

47 min: CHANCE for Colombia, as a cross into the center is flicked on to the right flank, where Santiago Arias is waiting all alone to drill a diagonal shot just wide of the far post.

Share

46 min: And we’re back.

Share

Has it been 25 minutes already? Teams are taking the field. Sprinklers are running on part of the field – maybe the part where Shakira just played?

Share

Now Shakira is dancing with creatures that look like the robots from Styx album Kilroy Was Here and the video for Mr. Roboto while large illuminations that look like rubies float around.

No matter what’s going on, though, Shakira manages to find the camera and strut towards it. I think she’s trying to tell us something.

Share

A GIANT WOLF-LIKE CREATURE, SURELY ALIEN IN NATURE, HAS DESCENDED INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE STADIUM … oh … that’s the halftime show. How’d they do that?

The first shoutout to Colombia comes about one minute into Shakira’s opening song.

Share

Matthew Richman points out a potential reason for Messi to roll around as he did: “ox commentary is not usually a great source of insight, but they pointed out that Messi’s rolls were to get back on the pitch so that play couldn’t be restarted. We’ll see how he’s moving in the second half!”

Share

Speaking of crowd-related chaos, your highly recommended halftime reading concerns the “White Horse” FA Cup of 1923, in which mounted police methodically moved the surplus spectators off the playing surface at Wembley.

Share

Halftime: Argentina 0-0 Colombia

The upstarts took the fight to the champions, with Colombia dominating statistically and in non-mathematical observations. They created a couple of good chances but put nothing into the net.

Share

45 min: James Rodriguez takes a knock to the back of the leg, and the referee lets play continue rather awkwardly for a bit, while players on both teams stop because everyone knows that’s a foul. Finally, the whistle blows.

Only one minute of stoppage time despite the lengthy injury delays.

Share

43 min: Tagliafico makes a foray forward from his left back position, and Santiago Arias gets him with a stray elbow/forearm to bring him down, yielding a free kick and a stern admonishment from the referee but no yellow card. The kick is played toward the center but headed over the bar.

Share

42 min: Argentina turn over the ball, and Luis Diaz is briefly off to the races, but De Paul runs him down and wins it back. Quite the battler, Mr. De Paul.

Share

40 min: Shot for Colombia – a Jhon Arias header that doesn’t have much on it.

And another shot, this one a worm-burner from long range that’s straight at Martinez.

Share

39 min: Messi was briefly out but is back. He walks at a snail’s pace. Then the ball is played to him, and he puts on a nifty set of moves to free himself from a defender.

He’s still limping, though.

Share

36 min: Messi is down. He rolls around for a while – which usually indicates that someone is not seriously hurt because it seems like a really bad idea to have repeated contact with the ground if you’ve just picked up a bruise or a sprain or a break.

He was hurt in a collision as he was going over the byline with the ball, a result of the Colombian defense swarming to shut off any path he had toward goal.

Share

32 min: I’m going to say that was a weak advantage call from our referee – Colombia didn’t have the ball in a good spot, and they would’ve loved the free kick instead.

Colombia back with it, and Lerma unleashes a SHOT from more than 25 yards out that nicks off the outstretched hands of the Argentine goalkeeper Martinez and just past the post. Possibly a brilliant save, though he didn’t seem to affect the flight path that much.

Share

30 min: The mesmerizing Colombian passing attack has given way to the jarring sights of fouls and pointless passes in midfield.

And just after I say that, Luis Diaz brilliantly back-heels the ball to keep it in play, and he sends it straight to a teammate.

Share

29 min: This is a long break for on-field treatment. Most referees would only allow this for a head injury, which this is not.

Share

27 min: Yellow card to Cordoba, who reached out his leg rather recklessly to try to get to a cross from the right. Lisandro Martinez is down and in some distress.

Share

25 min: Colombia attack down the left, with Mojica coming up from left back to join the fun. A cross doesn’t find anyone in yellow, though, and Argentina take a goal kick.

And they quickly lose the ball again. This is astounding.

Share

23 min: The Colombian press is targeting Argentina’s left flank, where Tagliafico has now struggled on more than one occasion to get free.

Share

20 min: CHANCE for Argentina off some smooth buildup work. The ball winds up with Di Maria on the left, and he centers for his longtime running mate, Messi. But the Inter Miami man doesn’t quite hit it cleanly – which for a split second seems to be worse for Colombia because the ball moves unpredictably. Vargas has time, though, to reset himself and smother the shot.

Share

17 min: Colombia still bossing this game, which I’m sure is a surprise to many. But when you’re in the form they’ve been in, your confidence is surely sky-high.

They take their feet off the gas pedal for a moment, though, allowing Argentina’s defenders to pad their pass-completion stats without actually passing midfield.

Share

14 min: Rob Coughlin writes again to say he was referring to disorder at the Euro 2020(1) final at Wembley.

In other news of unruly behavior, Enzo Fernandez plows into James Rodriguez. Free kick from 35 yards out for Colombia. It’s overhit, and Martinez snares it.

The sound and video on the Fox broadcast (at least on what I’m seeing and hearing) are about three seconds out of sync, so I’m going to know what happens before it happens.

Share

12 min: Santiago Arias overlaps on the right and puts in a dangerous cross that Argentina has to clear for a Colombian corner. From that, Martinez has to make his second save of the match already.

Share

10 min: Argentina briefly break the Colombian grip on the game, but just long enough for a goal kick to sail down the field to allow Colombia to collect.

Zach Neeley writes: “The locals involved in stadium logistics for a match like this are people that run the stadium itself and local public safety, not the citizens of say Miami in general. It’s silly to be offended by expressing (mild) concern that this stadium will be hosting World Cup matches in not too long. Completely missing the important part imho.”

I think it is indeed mild concern. Would I worry as a fan? No. Would I be taking notes if I worked for the World Cup organizing committee? I’d better be.

Share

8 min: At least 25 passes so far in this Colombian possession, but they’re going backwards.

Share

7 min: OFF THE POST from Colombia’s Cordoba, who took a short cross and fired across the face of goal.

Share

5 min: Colombia are also showing some interest in pressing, leading to a clearance that looks more like Olympic taekwondo.

Colombia win it back and get the first shot on goal, though it’s an easy one for Martinez to handle.

Share

3 min: And that corner kick takes a bit of time as our officials try in vain to get players to quit shoving each other.

Share



Source link