By Raymond Ebireri

Argentina will battle Colombia in the Copa America final as both teams fight for the trophy in what promises to be a blockbuster encounter. The match is scheduled for Monday, 15th July 2024, at 1:00 am in Miami, United States.

Argentina, the defending champions, will look to defend their Copa America title when they take on their South American neighbours, Colombia. The Albiceleste have exerted dominance in this year’s Copa America, showing why they are the reigning world champions. Following a series of final heartbreaks in the last decade, which include two Copa America final losses to Chile and the World Cup to Germany, they finally ended the wait for a continental trophy by defeating Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America 2021 final. This was followed by a World Cup triumph 18 months later in Qatar. The 2024 Copa America final will be Argentina’s sixth final in eight major international tournaments in the last 10 years.

Argentina have been inspired by the phenomenal Lionel Messi, the country’s all-time record goalscorer and the greatest player on the planet. Despite registering one goal and two assists, he remains a vital figure in the Argentina squad, with his presence on the pitch often crucial to the team’s success.

Meanwhile, Colombia may be seen as underdogs in the final, but they have been impressive in the tournament so far. With two wins out of three in the group stage, they finished as group winners before seeing off Panama and Uruguay in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively, stretching their unbeaten run to 28 games in international football.

Led by talisman James Rodriguez, Colombia look a force to be reckoned with and not to be underestimated by Argentina. Rodriguez’s brilliance has been brought to the fore with six assists provided, breaking Lionel Messi’s record in 2021 for most assists in the Copa America. After some years of inconsistency from his scintillating display at the 2014 World Cup, which earned him the Golden Boot, James Rodriguez has stepped up at a time when he was needed, and his impressive form could prove crucial to the team’s chances of winning the trophy.

Can Lionel Messi and Argentina defend their title and clinch a second successive Copa America title, or will Colombia defy the odds and go all the way?.

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