5 best players from Copa America semi-finals - ranked
- Colombia and Argentina will meet in the Copa America final Sunday night
- Argentina's victory over Canada was straightforward
- Jefferson Lerma's lone goal was enough for Colombia to previal in a chaotic match vs Uruguay
A handful of players from the Argentina and Colombia National Teams stepped up to ensure their side sealed safe passage into the Copa America final.
The first semi-final went as about expected with reigning champions Argentina taking down Jesse Marsch's Canada in their first-ever Copa America campaign. There wasn't too much drama until later on in the match when Canada threated to score, but it was a rather comfortable victory for La Albiceleste in the end.
The other semi-final couldn't have been more opposite. Straight from kick-off, it was clear that the Uruguay-Colombia contest was going to be very physical with constant end-to-end action. It was definitely more entertaining than the first semi-final as Colombia will look to upset Argentina to lift their second-ever Copa America title.
Here are the five best players from the Copa America semi-finals.
5. Emiliano Martinez
While it wasn't quite the same performance as his showing against Ecuador, Emiliano 'Emi' Martinez still made a couple of important stops against an xG of .82 to keep a clean sheet and send Argentina into the final.
4. Johan Mojica
One of the more underrated players at Copa America put in another shift Wednesday night to help Colombia reach the final. Johan Mojica held down the fort at left-back, not allowing the likes of Cristian Olivera and Facundo Pellistri any time on the ball when they came near him.
3. Enzo Fernandez
Enzo Fernandez's "assist" against Canada was vital in the team securing a place in the final for the second straight time. Not only did he help add to Argentina's lead in the second half, he also ran the show in the middle of the park alongside Rodrigo De Paul.
2. James Rodriguez
It wasn't the prettiest performance from James Rodriguez against Uruguay, but it was enough for him to tack on a sixth assist at Copa America to play his part in the victory. Only Rodriguez could deliver the pin-point accurate cross that was met by Jefferson Lerma in the first half.
1. Jefferson Lerma
Crystal Palace midfielder Jefferson Lerma notched his second goal at Copa America 2024 -- and it just might end up being one of the most important goals of his career -- that is, unless he scores in the final to help Colombia win.
The veteran player has been in fine form throughout the tournament and will hope to put in a similar performance to give Colombia a chance at upsetting the current champions Sunday night.