by Ben Ayuko
{image by Getty Images}
It took Extra-time for Argentina to put Colombia to bed and retain their Copa América title.
Messi and co. were made to wait to get proceedings under way due to the unrest caused outside the stadium. In fact, the game was delayed by a whole hour just so the organizers could get a hold of the situation at hand. The passionate fans outside the stadium seemed to spark something in Colombia because as soon as the game started, they flew straight out of the box. They may have been the underdogs, but they sure did not look like it. They were brave and front footed, taking the game to Argentina and putting pressure on them from the onset, clearly showing their intent as the spectators gleefully cheered them on. Jhon Córdoba, the Colombian centre-forward, probably came the closest after his volleyed effort bounced off the right-hand post.
After a halftime performance by the indelible Shakira, spirits were certainly high in the stadium and both teams upped their levels to try and steal a march on the other. There were many stars on show on the day, the likes of James Rodriguez and Angel di Maria showing their quality for their teams. The former in particular being at the centre of his teams every move. Spirits in the Argentina camp, however, definitely took a hit after their talisman and star man, Lionel Messi, went down with an innocuous injury. He could only break into tears as he was being substituted out of what may be his final appearance for his national team. They held on, though, without their Captain as the game ended 0-0.
Extra-time is always a tentative occasion as both teams are very aware of the fact that all it takes is one mistake to lose an entire tournament. And that is exactly how it went, until the inevitable happened. Kevin Castaño was driving forward with the ball, trying to lead a one-man counterattack for Los Cafeteros when he was intercepted by Rodrigo de Paul in the heart of midfield. Being out of his position, he could only watch as 2 passes later, Giovanni lo Celso had played in Lautaro Martinez through on goal one-on-one with the keeper, who made no mistake placing the ball into the top corner and sealing the victory for Argentina.
1-0 the game ended as La Albiceleste maintained their period of international dominance, winning their 3rd trophy in 5 years.