Lionel Messi pumped his arms. The trophy bounced up and down in his grasp. Tears of frustration from an hour or so earlier had turned to laughs and hugs for the two-time Copa America champion and World Cup winner. Messi was forced to watch much of the match because of a leg injury, reports the AP. Still, Argentina won its second straight Copa America, beating Colombia 1-0 Sunday night on Lautaro Martínez's 112th-minute goal. "Leo is the greatest player in history," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. "He never wants to leave the pitch. He has a swollen ankle and wants to keep playing. ... He wants to play not because he is egotistical or selfish. He wants to keep playing because he doesn't want to leave his teammates. ... He was born to be on the pitch."
Messi appeared to sustain a non-contact injury while running and falling in the 64th minute. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner covered his face with his hands as he sat on the bench and sobbed. Martínez later ran to that bench to hug his 37-year-old captain after the goal that propelled Argentina to its record 16th Copa title. After the final whistle sounded well past midnight, Messi beckoned for his senior teammates to lift the trophy with him: 36-year-old Nicolás Ottamendi and Ángel Di María, who is retiring from the national team. "It was written like that," Di Maria said. "I told the guys last night at dinner that I dreamt it. That's why I said it was my last Copa America. I dreamt we made it to the final and we won it so I could go out this way."
In a match that started 1 hour, 22 minutes late because of crowd trouble at Hard Rock Stadium, Argentina won its third straight major title following the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup. Numerous players lost their footing during the second half. The grass was heavily watered with sprinklers following the halftime performance by Colombian pop star Shakira, which caused an extended halftime break. Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo said many players finished with severe cramping. Temperatures were in the upper 80s with humidity around 73%. "It is not easy to play a final," Lorenzo said. "They played six matches in 21 days and started feeling the results." Making his 39th and possibly last Copa America appearance, Messi had one goal in the tournament.
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