On Sunday night, Argentina won a record-breaking 16th Copa Am\u00e9rica title, retaining the trophy they hoisted aloft in Rio de Janeiro three years earlier, by beating Colombia 1-0 after extra time in Miami.<\/p>\n
The final was, from an organisational point of view, a complete farce, kicking off around 82 minutes late, with CONMEBOL blaming ‘ticketless fans’, we’ve been here before, while half time lasted 26 minutes to allow Shakira to perform; read the room!<\/p>\n
Ultimately, with extra time, the tie concluded over four hours after it was scheduled to begin, but it was a night of glory for Argentina, so here are three key takeaways from an eventful night in the Sunshine State.<\/p>\n
Read More<\/strong>: Gregg Berhalter Sacked By US Soccer After Poor Copa America Showing<\/a><\/p>\n At this tournament, Argentina played 570 minutes, of which Lautaro Mart\u00ednez was on the field for only 221 minutes (40.9%), starting just two of six matches, introduced as a substitute seven minutes into extra time during Sunday’s final.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, that did not stop him from claiming the golden boot, bagging his fifth goal of the competition 15 minutes after his belated entrance at the Hard Rock Stadium, on target twice more than Salom\u00f3n Rond\u00f3n, who ended up second in the highest-scorer charts.<\/p>\n He now has 29 international goals to his name, only seven Argentine men have more, namely Lionel Messi, Gabriel Batistuta, Sergio Ag\u00fcero, Hern\u00e1n Crespo, Diego Maradona, Gonzalo Higua\u00edn and \u00c1ngel Di Mar\u00eda, which isn’t bad company to keep.<\/p>\n Read More<\/strong>: Three Germany Players To Watch: Women\u2019s Football At The 2024 Olympics<\/a><\/p>\n Eight of these goals have been scored this year, with the Inter attacker also having earned the Capocannoniere as Serie A’s main marksman, but Lionel Scaloni remains unconvinced, believing Juli\u00e1n \u00c1lvarez is a better foil for Lionel Messi.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, Martinez has now had the big moment, scoring a dramatic late winner in a final, that many of his compatriots never experienced, so, whatever happens, he’ll be immortalised forever, even if he continues to be used purely as a super-sub.<\/p>\n Mid-way through the second half in Miami, having suffered a large thwack on his ankle from Santiago Arias, Messi hobbled off, substituted before spending the rest of the game on the bench in tears, very reminiscent of his great adversary Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from the Euro 2016 Final.<\/p>\n Luckily for Messi, as had been the case for Ronaldo eight years earlier in Paris, it all ended in celebration, with their teammates getting the job done in their absence, as the 37-year-old hoisted a second Copa Am\u00e9rica trophy aloft late into the Florida night.<\/p>\n Read More<\/strong>: Man Utd Close To Selling \u2018Brilliant\u2019 Youngster After Erik Ten Hag Decision<\/a><\/p>\n Many forecast that la Albiceleste’s record goal-scorer and appearances maker would retire following World Cup glory in Qatar, but he stuck around and been justified in doing so, taking his tally to 187 caps, only three men have more: the aforementioned Ronaldo (Portugal, 212), Bader Al-Mutawa (Kuwait, 196) and Soh Chin Ann (Malaysia, 195).<\/p>\n But, how many more times will we see Messi bedecked in the iconic white and sky blue stripes?<\/p>\nTop Three Takeaways From Argentina vs Colombia<\/h2>\n
Lautaro Mart\u00ednez Can Do It at International Level<\/h3>\n
The End of the Lionel Messi Era Is Approaching<\/h3>\n