The Colombian team will play in the continental title match for the first time in 23 years.
Colombia, who were outnumbered throughout the second half and thanks to another assist from James Rodriguez, reached the final after beating Uruguay 1-0 on Wednesday.
Yefferson Lerma’s header in the 39th minute was enough for Colombia to extend its unbeaten streak to 29 matches, a new national team record. But the Colombians were left to suffer after being reduced to 10 men after right back Daniel Muñoz was sent off at the end of the first half for a second yellow card.
Colombia will face defending champions Argentina and Lionel Messi in Miami on Sunday.
“We are happy, what we did today I think is more than many could have imagined,” said James, who has made a comeback in this cup. “The team fought against everything and achieved it. We can rest and think about the final with Argentina. The country should enjoy what we put on the field.”
This will be only the second time Colombia has reached the final in the continental tournament. They won the title on the only occasion they have played in it, as hosts in the 2001 edition, beating Mexico.
Colombia, which has not lost since February 1, 2022, eclipsed the previous record, which was held between 1992 and 1994 by a team led by Francisco Maturana.
Colombia’s last defeat was 1-0 against Argentina in the South American World Cup qualifiers that the Albiceleste ended up winning at the end of that year. Lautaro Martínez was the scorer of the goal in that match, in which Messi did not play.
In a rough match that included seven yellow cards and a red card for Muñoz, the players ended up pushing each other on the pitch after the final whistle and several Uruguayan players, including Darwin Núñez, got into a fight with fans wearing the traditional yellow Colombian shirts.
“This is a disaster,” said Uruguayan center back Jose Maria Gimenez. “They attacked our entire family in a certain sector. Our families were in danger. We had to run like crazy to the stands to take out our loved ones with a tiny newborn baby.”
In front of 70,644 fans at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, packed mostly with Colombians, Uruguay found itself at a disadvantage for the first time in the tournament.
James’ corner from the right found the head of Lerma, who got past Giménez, taking advantage of a poor exit from goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, to make the final score 1-0.
Colombia came close to scoring a second goal shortly after with a shot from Richard Ríos, which was repelled by Rochet’s flight.
These were moments of great confusion for Uruguay.
But the situation changed radically when Muñoz was sent off after elbowing Manuel Ugarte, earning him a second yellow card after a VAR review.
Néstor Lorenzo, the Argentine coach of Colombia, had no choice but to reinforce the defensive work to maintain a minimal advantage, a task that was further complicated by the injury of midfielder Ríos and by the obligation to take James off — after being cautioned — to face the last half hour.
“The match was very difficult against a tough opponent, but for me it is a well-deserved final. I have wanted this for almost 13 years and we are very happy,” said James.
The attacking midfielder, who turns 33 on Friday, added his sixth assist in his fifth game and surpassed Messi’s record (5 in 2021) for the most assists in a single edition of the tournament since records began in 2011.
“We still have to face each other in the final,” James said. “Everyone knows what Leo is like, that he can score a goal or make an assist at any moment. It will be nice to face him in the final.”
Determined to exploit the extra man, Uruguay came out with everything for the second half. Their coach Marcelo Bielsa sent on Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Mathías Olivera to have more bite up front. Uruguay reached 73% possession after the Colombian goal.
In its defensive rethink, Colombia found relief from the Uruguayan siege in the dribbling and tenacity of its winger Luis Díaz, causing a couple of yellow cards.
“I’m honest with you, I would have preferred that the sending off hadn’t happened,” Bielsa said. “What happened in the second half with Colombia playing like that was a bigger challenge for us.”
Uruguay’s game was also affected by having to take off midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur in the 34th minute due to an injury.
In search of a goal that would bring an equaliser that never came, Bielsa sent on Luis Suárez, the all-time top scorer for La Celeste with 68 goals. He came on in the 66th minute and hit the post in the 71st after receiving from Federico Valverde.
Colombia had two clear chances to seal the victory in the dying minutes, both with Matheus Uribe coming on. The midfielder made a poor finish in the first and hit the crossbar in the other.
“The details in this type of match are difficult,” Bielsa lamented. “We didn’t dominate the first half, but it was even. The second half, with one more man, was unnatural and was marked by endless interruptions that prevented us from having a rhythm of play.”
Lack of control between Colombian fans and Uruguayan players
Tempers boiled over after Colombia’s 1-0 win over Uruguay in the Copa America semifinals on Wednesday, when Darwin Núñez and several teammates entered the stands and became involved in a violent brawl with Colombian fans inside Bank of America Stadium.
It is unclear what instigated the melee after the final whistle, but fights between the two sets of fans had already broken out before the players arrived on the scene. The vast majority of the 70,000 people present were supporting Colombia, with groups of Uruguayan fans sprinkled in.
Nunez, in particular, appeared outraged as he punched at least one fan while the crowd threw drinks and debris at the Uruguayan players.
About 100 Uruguayan fans and federation staff members remained on the field after police restored order and Colombian supporters left the stadium, according to Steve Reed of The Associated Press.
The stormy semi-final match saw several yellow cards and one red card.
Source: With information from AP