Jefferson Lerma scored in the 39th minute, and Colombia played a man short the entire second half in a 1-0 win over Uruguay on Wednesday night to reach the Copa America final against Lionel Messi and Argentina.
Daniel Munoz was ejected in first-half stoppage time for his second yellow card, but Colombia held on to reach the championship for the first time since winning their only Copa title as host in 2001. Colombia extended their unbeaten streak to a team record 28 games, one more than from 1992 to 1994 and the longest current streak in men’s international soccer.
In a contentious match that included seven yellow cards and one red, players from both teams pushed and shoved in a scrum on the field at the final whistle. Darwin Nunez and about a dozen Uruguay teammates went into the stands as fans brawled. A video showed Nunez hitting a fan in Colombian team colors.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Defending champion Argentina and Colombia are to meet on Sunday night at Miami Gardens, Florida. Argentina are seeking a record 16th Copa title and are looking to join Spain from 2008 to 2012 as the only countries to win three straight major championships.
Uruguay stays in Charlotte to meet Canada in tomorrow’s third-place match.
Before an overwhelmingly pro-Colombia crowd of 70,644 that filled Bank of America Stadium with yellow jerseys and flags, Uruguay fell behind for the first time in the tournament.
Photo: AFP
James Rodriguez’s corner kick was headed in from short range by Lerma, who outjumped Jose Maria Gimenez for his third international goal and second of the tournament. Rodriguez has six assists in the tournament — triple the total of any other player.
Munoz received his first yellow card from Mexican referee Cesar Ramos in the 31st minute for a reckless slide tackle on Maximiliano Araujo and his second for elbowing Manuel Ugarte in the stomach.
Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas did not have to make his first save until he stopped Nicolas de la Cruz in the 68th minute.
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
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