![\"Argentina's](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/GettyImages-2161508056-e1721059238735.jpg?quality=100&w=384&h=216&crop=1\")
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Before the match could even begin, there was absolute mayhem outside the venue, spilling into the Copa Am\u00e9rica Finals. The chaotic start forced a delay from 8 p.m. ET to 9:22 p.m. due to crowd control issues outside the stadium.<\/p>\n
Hard Rock Stadium released a statement after the game, saying that the venue, which will be used for the 2026 World Cup, \u201ctakes pride in hosting world-class events year-round in a safe and successful manner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand there are disappointed ticket holders who were not able to enter the stadium after the perimeter was closed,\u201d the statement said, \u201cand we will work in partnership with CONMEBOL to address those individual concerns. Ultimately, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of all guests and staff, and that will always remain our priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
But once the game began, the match was all that mattered.<\/p>\n
Lionel Messi<\/strong> eventually suffered a leg injury that forced him to watch much of the second half from the bench.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cLeo is the greatest player in history,\u201d Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said through an interpreter. \u201cHe never wants to leave the pitch. He has a swollen ankle and wants to keep playing. I prefer those players. He wants to play not because he is egotistical or selfish. He wants to keep playing because he doesn\u2019t want to leave his teammates. \u2026 He was born to be on the pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n Messi is in tears as he is subbed off due to injury \ud83d\udc94 pic.twitter.com\/t0l3OLLuWf<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The eight-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner covered his face with his hands as he\u00a0sat on the bench and sobbed<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Still, Argentina won its second straight Copa Am\u00e9rica championship, beating Colombia 1-0 Sunday night with Lautaro Mart\u00ednez\u2019s 112th-minute goal. Lautaro Mart\u00ednez<\/strong> was the club\u2019s leading scorer this Copa Am\u00e9rica.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thought Lautaro would find a chance and blast it toward the net,\u201d Argentine national coach Lionel Scaloni said of Martinez, a late substitute who scored five goals for the club during Copa America.<\/p>\n With the win, you couldn\u2019t notice Messi\u2019s pain as he celebrated the emotional and dramatic final win his team.<\/p>\n This was for Angel Di Maria<\/strong>, the big-game goal scorer playing in his final match with Argentina. He took the captainband from Messi until his exit, where he hugged Messi on the bench to cap his international career.<\/p>\n Leo Messi has carried Argentina for so much of his international career.<\/p>\n When he got hurt, they returned the favor \ud83e\udd1d pic.twitter.com\/BOQsT3MldX<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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