Messi was injured and had to leave the field, Argentina still won the 2024 Copa America thanks to Lautaro shining with a goal in the second extra time in the final against Colombia.
Argentina successfully defended the championship they won in 2021. Albiceleste made history with their 16th victory in this arena.
It can be said that the journey to the final of Argentina and Colombia is quite different. Argentina is in an easy group and the opponents of this team in the knockout round are not too strong.
Messi and his teammates won all the matches in the group stage, defeating Ecuador in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, Argentina met Canada again, thanks to a better squad, the defending champions easily won 2-0.
Meanwhile, Colombia had a tough time reaching the final of the Copa America 2024. This team had a hard time keeping the top spot in the group, in which Brazil was present. Despite a crushing 5-0 win over Panama in the quarterfinals, Colombia had an extremely tense semi-final match.
James Rodriguez and his teammates played with one less player in the second half, but thanks to their impressive fighting spirit, Colombia maintained the score 1-0 and won against Uruguay to book their place in the final match.
Colombia’s tenacity and determination are formidable weapons for Argentina. After the victory over Uruguay, Colombia is on a 28-match unbeaten streak, a historic streak for the team.
In the Copa America 2024 campaign, the player who continuously shined for Colombia was James Rodriguez. The midfielder born in 1991 had 6 assists and 1 goal in the tournament. The number of 6 assists in Copa America 2024 helped James Rodriguez break Messi’s assist record in a Copa America.
Colombia not only attack well and score the most goals, but also have a very good defense. They have only conceded 2 goals at Copa America 2024, so this will be a big challenge for the defending champions.
On the other side of the front line, Messi only scored 1 goal in Copa America 2024. This is a tournament where Messi did not play well, if not lackluster. This player missed a penalty kick, but his teammates made amends in the quarterfinals.
Although Messi is no longer at his best, M10’s experience and role are very important. Therefore, if Colombia’s defense is off guard, they will pay a very high price.
Regarding the history of Argentina vs Colombia before the Copa America 2024 final, Messi and his teammates are holding the advantage. Accordingly, Argentina won 2, drew 2 and lost only 1 in the last 5 matches in all competitions.
If calculated broadly, Argentina vs Colombia have met 42 times in history at all levels. Argentina won 25, drew 8 and lost 9. Therefore, this team is highly appreciated in terms of the ability to win the Copa America 2024 championship.
