Colombia, with five players from the Brasileirão on the team, defeated Uruguay 1-0 and will play the 2024 Copa América final against Argentina. Jefferson Lerma scored the only goal of the game with a header in the 39th minute for Néstor Lorenzo’s side, who held on for the entire second half with one less player due to the sending off of full-back Daniel Múñoz.
James Rodríguez, substituted half an hour from the end for having a yellow card and being physically exhausted, shone again. He was the one who took the corner kick that broke the deadlock at the Bank of America Stadium in the city of Charlotte, and he leads the tournament’s assist table with 6, triple that of his pursuers.
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The midfielder is one of the best players in the tournament and that superlative level could earn him a recall to the São Paulo first team. Since the arrival of Luis Zubeldía, he had been relegated and everything indicated that he was going to be sold after the Copa América, although now there may be a change of plans.
“It was a tough semifinal against a great rival, and even more so with ten men, but the guys knew how to hold on there, they did a phenomenal job,” said the Colombian number 10 after the match that secured the passage to what will be the first final of the national team in 23 years.
In that match, which will be played next Sunday at 9pm (Brasilia time) at the Hard Rock Stadium, the two Arias will also be there. Jhon, from Fluminense, who was the sacrificed player at the start of the second half to compensate the team after Múñoz’s sending off. And Santiago, from Bahía, who was precisely the one who replaced him to cover the right-back position.
Another regular starter is Richard Ríos, although the Palmeiras midfielder left the game injured in the 62nd minute in a clash with Uruguayan players. Mateus Uribe came on in his place, although in the celebration videos for the qualification he was seen without any kind of injury.
The one who did not have minutes in the final was Rafael Santos Borré. The Inter striker is the backup for Jhon Córdoba and in a system set up to defend with 10 men on the field, he did not come off the bench.
