July 11 – It has been said that speed and chaos kill! If that’s the case, there was a mass murder at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, because Colombia and Uruguay simply tore into each other at 100mph in a breathtaking display of commitment, desire, and aggression for the right to play Argentina in the Copa America final on Sunday.
Colombia edged that right with a 1-0 win but it took a night of drama to get there.
With two Argentine coaches, Marcelo Bielsa (Uruguay) and Nestor Lorenzo (Colombia) patrolling the technical areas this was always going to be a chess match with boxing gloves. The key would be ‘who could keep their heads’ while playing the South American version of street football. The answer would be Colombia…just!
In the 15th minute after excellent Colombia pressure, the first good chance fell to Daniel Munoz the marauding right back. Luis Diaz put in a brilliant cross that invited Munoz to soar over Maximilliano Araujo but his header went wide of the post.
Just two minutes later the first of three opportunities fell to Darwin Nunez. The Liverpool striker has been heralded for his incredible work rate and movement but derided for his finishing.
Here was a case of the latter as he shot wide from the top of the box. It was a case of rinse and repeat 10 minutes later as his curler went wide when it looked easier to hit the target.
On the half-hour, Munoz found himself in the referee, Cesar Ramos’, notebook for a tackle on Araujo, and that would have huge ramifications 15 minutes later, however, before that Colombia would break the deadlock.
James Rodriguez who has a habit of showing up for big events (think World Cup 2014) fizzed an inswinger from the right corner and Jefferson Lerma leapt highest to force his header inside the near post though Uruguayan keeper Sergio Rochet will be disappointed with his effort. 1-0 to Colombia.
As the half drew to a close and a chance to clear the minds, Munoz lost his. A…
Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/07/11/10-man-colombia-beat-uruguay-set-copa-america-final-argentina/
Author : Paul Nicholson
Publish date : 2024-07-11 08:14:58
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