Copa America 2024: 10-man Colombia edge past Uruguay 1-0 in semifinals to set finale clash with Argentina

Jefferson Lerma headed James Rodriguez cross in the only goal scored in the match.

Two of the most in-form teams in the tournament this summer, Uruguay and Colombia, locked horns in the second semi-final of Copa America 2024 at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Colombia surprisingly began the match on a slower tempo than usual, with Uruguay’s quick counter-press proving to be successful, leading to multiple turnovers. However, Los Cafeteros soon got into their rhythm after some great work down the left flank by Luis Diaz, whose cross was met by right-back Daniel Munoz, who put it just wide.

Uruguay had chances of their own to take the lead in the game, but forward Darwin Nunez missed two golden opportunities in agonizing fashion. La Celeste were forced into an early substitution as Rodrigo Betancur limped off the field due to an injury.

To make matters worse for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, Colombia broke the deadlock as a well-delivered cross from James Rodríguez was expertly headed home by midfielder Jefferson Lerma to give his side a vital 1-0 lead in the 39th minute.

However, in the dying minutes of the first half, chaos ensued in the contest as Daniel Munoz was given a second yellow for his aggressive altercation with Manuel Ugarte, leaving the Colombians visibly frustrated and down to 10 men for the rest of the match. Despite heading into the break with a 1-0 lead, Nestor Lorenzo’s side hoped to maintain their advantage against the odds.

With a man up and two attacking substitutions, Uruguay started the second half on the front foot, with Colombia sitting deep off the ball in order to preserve their slender lead. To invoke the much-needed spark to break down Colombia’s resilient defence, Marcelo Bielsa introduced veteran Luis Suárez into the mix.

The Barcelona legend almost made an instinctive impact as his fierce strike hit the post, with Uruguay looking for the equaliser in the final quarter of the game.

The match was brewing into an end-to-end action-packed contest, with both teams creating chance after chance in an attempt to assert their dominance and dictate overall play.

Despite all of La Celeste’s valiant efforts to draw the game level till the very end, 10-man Colombia held onto dear life as they narrowly edged past Uruguay to win this fiercely contested semifinal encounter 1-0 and extend their unbeaten streak to an incredible 28 games. Following this triumph, Los Cafetero are now set to face defending champions Argentina in the grand finale of the 2024 Copa America at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

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