Ten-man Colombia edged Uruguay 1-0 to reach the Copa America final for the first time in 23 years following a fiery semi-final on Wednesday.
Jefferson Lerma’s 39th-minute header secured the win for Colombia, who will now face defending champions Argentina in Sunday’s final in Miami.
The semi-final, played before a packed and passionate crowd, ended with on-field scuffles and fights in the stands, with several players climbing among supporters amid the chaos.
Despite Daniel Munoz’s sending off just before halftime and heavy pressure from Uruguay, Colombia held on for a memorable victory, much to the delight of their massive fan base.
This win marked Colombia’s 28th consecutive game without defeat, setting a new team record.
The downtown streets of the North Carolina city were filled with partying fans in bright yellow Colombia jerseys hours before kickoff.
In such an electrifying atmosphere, Colombia started strongly with their energetic Liverpool winger Luis Diaz creating space for a cross from the left, finding Daniel Munoz at the back post, but the full-back’s header was off target.
Uruguay posed a threat on the counter-attack, with Liverpool star Darwin Nunez nearly capitalizing on a break when Rodrigo Bentancur set him up with a clever pass, only for Nunez to poke his shot wide.
Nunez had another opportunity when Maximiliano Araujo played him clear in the inside-right channel, but the striker hurried his shot, blasting high and wide.
At the other end, Colombia forced a turnover, leading to James Rodriguez curling in a cross from the right, but Jhon Cordoba’s header missed the mark.
The celebrations were marred by ugly scenes in the stands, which will concern organizers CONMEBOL ahead of a final expected to draw huge numbers of both Argentine and Colombian fans.
