Colombia is headed to the Copa America championship sport for the primary time in 23 years after a contentious win over Uruguay in which it performed the second half a person brief and players brawled with fans in the stands following the ultimate whistle.
Jefferson Lerma scored in the thirty ninth minute for a 1-0 win Wednesday night time and a matchup with Lionel Messi and defending champion Argentina on Sunday.
Uruguay stays in Charlotte to fulfill Canada in Saturday night time’s third-place match.
“Until you overcome your weaknesses you cannot grow,” Colombia coach Nester Lorenzo mentioned by a interpreter. “And when you overcome those obstacles you can grow.”
Daniel Munoz was ejected in first-half stoppage time for an elbow that led to his second yellow card. Despite Uruguay having 61.9 per cent possession, Colombia held on to achieve the championship for the primary time since profitable its solely Copa title as host in 2001.
Colombia prolonged its unbeaten streak to a group report 28 video games, yet another than from 1992-94 and the longest present streak in males’s worldwide soccer.
“They are very hungry as players and very eager and they really add many elements to their game beyond the tactical side,” Lorenzo mentioned.
Players brawl with fans
In a match that included seven yellow playing cards in addition to the pink, players from each groups pushed and shoved in a scrum on the sphere on the ultimate whistle. Darwin Nunez and a few dozen Uruguay teammates went into the stands as fans brawled.
Defending champion Argentina and Colombia meet at Miami Gardens, Florida, in the event finale. The Albiceleste are in search of a report sixteenth Copa title and need to be part of Spain from 2008-12 as the one nations to win three straight main championships.
Before an overwhelmingly pro-Colombia crowd of 70,644 that crammed Bank of America Stadium with yellow jerseys and flags, Uruguay fell behind for the primary time in the event.
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James Rodriguez’s nook kick was headed in from brief vary by Lerma, who outjumped Jose Maria Gimenez for his third worldwide aim and second of the event. Rodriguez has six assists in the event — triple the entire of another participant.
Rodriguez was given a yellow card in the fifty fifth minute for arguing with Ramos when the referee didn’t cease play after Richard Rios was kicked on a shin by Darwin Nunez.
Rios was eliminated on a stretcher, re-entered the match, then went down in one other problem and was substituted in the 62nd minute. Rodriguez was eliminated on the identical time to maintain him eligible for the ultimate.
Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas did not should make his first save till he stopped Nicolas de la Cruz in the 68th minute.
Uruguay unable to muster possibilities
Luis Suarez, Uruguay’s profession chief with 68 objectives, entered in the 66th minute and hit the surface of a put up with a shot in the 71st. He grasped his head in his arms in disgust.
“The moments in which we could unbalance the game, we did not succeed,” Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa mentioned. “We should have generated more goal situations than we did.”
Colombia’s Mateus Uribe, one other second-half sub, put an open shot large in the 88th, and Uribe’s open shot in the fourth minute of stoppage time ricocheted off the physique of sliding goalkeeper Sergio Rochet after which the crossbar.
Uruguay moved Rochet as much as the attacking half of the sphere in the ultimate minute, determined for a aim.
The match was performed in 90-degree warmth on a floor that was transformed from synthetic turf to grass in the weeks main up the sport.
Players on the NFL’s Carolina Panthers have been outspoken about soccer groups having the luxurious of enjoying on grass on their dwelling subject. Players say NFL video games on synthetic turf depart them extra vulnerable to accidents.
With two video games left, attendance of 1.48 million is simply 1,663 shy of the entire for the 2016 event in the United States,
