
Colombia to Final against Argentina!
Charlotte, US, Jul 10 (EFE).-
Jefferson Lerma struck the decisive goal in the first half as 10-man Colombia battled past Uruguay 1-0 in the semifinal in Charlotte in North Carolina on Wednesday to reach their second-ever Copa America final and their first in 23 years.
Colombia, who extended their unbeaten streak to 28 matches with the win, will face Argentina in the final in Miami on Sunday.
Nestor Lorenzo’s team was left with 10 men throughout the second half due to a double yellow card for Daniel Munoz just before the break for elbowing Manuel Ugarte in the chest, which also ruled the Crystal Palace right-back out of the final.

But Colombia were already ahead, with Lerma heading home a James Rodriguez corner in the 39th minute, leaving the veteran midfielder with his sixth assist in the tournament, the most by a player in a single edition, surpassing Messi’s record.
The Colombian fans’ celebration was partially spoiled by a fight in the stands, when several Uruguayan players, including Darwin Nunez and Maximiliano Araujo, jumped over the barriers and went to fight with some fans.
Several men tried to contain the fury of Nunez, who also received a strong punch in the face from a fan.

It was a sad end to a match that saw no shortage of sporting intensity, with Uruguay trying hard in vain to repeat the brilliant performance that helped them beat Brazil in the quarterfinals.
Uruguay, who were without injured Ronald Araujo, suffered a further blow when Rodrigo Bentancur was forced to leave the field with a muscle injury in the 35th minute.
It forced Uruguay to shift their tactics, switching from a back three to a back four, but Colombia managed to find the winning formula that they used successfully against other teams just five minutes later, with Rodriguez setting up for Lerma.

Uruguay’s best opportunity came when Luis Suarez received an assist from Fede Valverde shortly after coming to the field as a substitute in the 67th minute and finished with his right foot inside the box, but his effort clipped the side of the post.
With everyone from Uruguay upfront for a goal, Colombia came close to scoring again a few times, but Mateus Uribe missed two chances in the closing minutes to keep Uruguay alive until the last seconds.
Colombia will now head to Miami Gardens to play Argentina in the Grand Final at Hard Rock Stadium on July 14, while Uruguay will stay in Charlotte to play Canada at Bank in the third-place decider on July 13. EFE
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