Argentina 1-0 Colombia: Player ratings as Lautaro Martinez secures La Albiceleste's 16th Copa America title

It might have taken Argentina 112 minutes, but La Albiceleste defeated Colombia 1-0 to secure their record-breaking 16th Copa America title.

Both Argentina and Colombia came into tonight's final as the two remaining unbeaten sides at Copa America 2024. Argentina won Group A, and then defeated Ecuador and Canada to make it to Hard Rock Stadium, while Colombia topped Group D before overcoming Panama and Uruguay. After a lengthy delay, the two CONMEBOL teams finally took the pitch for the final time this summer to battle for the historic trophy.

How the game unfolded

Just as expected, the Copa America 2024 final kicked off with high intensity from Argentina and Colombia in front of a sold-out crowd. Emiliano Martinez and Camilo Vargas were called upon to deliver critical saves in the first 20 minutes after both sides created decent chances. Jhon Cordoba even hit the post, but neither team could find the game's opener.

The most notable action of the first half came just before halftime when Lionel Messi went down with a right ankle injury. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner received treatment on the sideline and limped back onto the pitch to finish out the half, but never looked overly comfortable.

La Albiceleste got off to a fast start in the second half, creating more chances in the opening 15 minutes than they had in the entire first half. Messi's night was cut short, though, after the captain suffered a non-contact injury in the 66th minute on top of his earlier ankle injury. Argentina almost had an immediate response in honor of their captain after Nico Gonzalez found the back of the net, but the goal was whistled offsides.

At the end of 90 minutes, the game was still deadlocked at 0-0, leading to extra time. With plenty of tired bodies on the pitch, a penalty shootout felt inevitable, but it was none other than Lautaro Martinez who once again came through for Argentina, scoring the winner for his country in the 112th minute off a clever pass from Giovani Lo Celso.

Even without Messi, Argentina still found a way to win their second Copa America in as many tournaments, and their third major trophy this decade.

Argentina player ratings vs Colombia (4-4-3)

GK: Emiliano Martínez - 6/10 - Emiliano Martinez only conceded one goal the entire tournament, and came up big when his team needed him in the first half.

RB: Gonzalo Montiel - 5/10 - Montiel could not keep up with Luis Diaz tonight, and was caught out of position multiple times. He was subbed off the pitch with an injury in the 72nd minute.

CB: Cristian Romero - 7/10 - Romero once again proved himself to be the best defender at Copa America 2024, leading the Argentine backline to their fifth clean sheet this summer.

CB: Lisandro Martínez - 7/10 - Martinez did not put a foot wrong on defense tonight and did well to lock down Jhon Cordoba.

LB: Nicolas Tagliafico - 6/10 - Tagliafico used his speed to create great space on the left, but could not find the right end product in the final third.

CM: Rodrigo De Paul - 5/10 - De Paul lacked quality touches and did little to help his team maintain possession against a strong Colombian midfield.

CM: Enzo Fernandez - 6/10 - Enzo Fernandez was forced to adopt a deeper, more defensive role tonight and did well to keep up with Colombia's consistent pressure in the final third.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister - 6/10 - Mac Allister lacked creativity in the first half, but the midfielder did better in the second half to create goalscoring opportunities for Argentina. Ultimately, though, he lacked the invention La Albiceleste needed to find the back of the net.

RM: Angel Di Maria - 6/10 - Di Maria created Argentina's best chances tonight, but he left the pitch without getting on the scoresheet in his final game for his country.

ST: Julian Alvarez - 5/10 - Alvarez struggled to make an impact tonight, not recording a single shot on target.

LW: Lionel Messi - 5/10 - Lionel Messi had a quiet first half, and did not get a chance to show what he is capable of in the second half after he was forced to come off the pitch in the 66th minute due to injury.

Substitutes

SUB: Nicolas Gonzalez - 6/10 - Gonzalez came on for an injured Lionel Messi and gave Argentina's attack a much-needed spark.

SUB: Nahuel Molina - 6/10 - Molina acted as a natural replacement for the injured Montiel at right-back.

SUB: Lautaro Martinez - 7/10 - Martinez scored Argentina's winner—his fifth goal of the tournament.

SUB: Giovani Lo Celso - 6/10 - Lo Celso's fresh legs helped ignite some energy into Argentina's midfield, and the midfielder assisted the winning goal.

SUB: Leandro Paredes - 5/10 - Paredes helped his tired defenders keep Colombia off the scoresheet.

SUB: Nicolas Otamendi - N/A - Otamendi came on in the 117th minute to preserve Argentina's 1-0 lead.

Manager

Lionel Scaloni - 8/10 - Although Argentina had a quiet first half, the reigning World Cup champions never felt out of the game thanks to their world-class defense. Lionel Scaloni made the correct substitutions for extra time, giving his attack a much-needed spark, and won Argentina their 16th Copa America title as a result, all while his best player was on the bench with an injury.

Scaloni deserves credit for leading Argentina to two Copa America titles and a World Cup title after La Albiceleste had struggled to find success in both tournaments.