The 2024 Copa America Final was doomed to be chaotic long before the ball was kicked off at Hard Rock stadium in Miami. Hours before the scheduled start, thousands of ticketless fans crashed through the gates leaving thousands with their tickets, stranded outside.
The violent struggle of those trying to get in left hundreds injured, including children. Some were reduced to tears, some left unconscious. Alexis Mac Allister’s mother Silvina told TyC Sports that her son had to leave the Argentina locker room to get his family safely into the stadium.
The match was delayed by 82 minutes as the police officials inside the venue did rounds to check each and every ticket. They’d continue to do so until the early minutes of the second half, which started even later than usual owing to a 25-minute halftime break staging a Shakira concert in the middle of it all. South American football has been synonymous with bedlam but even by its not-so-lofty standards, this on the night of a continental final, in the USA of all places, was too much to digest.
LAUTARO MARTÍNEZ: LA REDENCIÓN. pic.twitter.com/hLoJ9dDjxC
— CONMEBOL Copa América™️ (@CopaAmerica) July 15, 2024
It was late into this night – in Extra Time – that Lautaro Martinez orchestrated a rare moment of composure to score the sole goal that handed Argentina their second Copa America title in a row. It was a goal that displayed his all-round abilities and game nous. Dropping deep in the midfield, Martinez helped carve out an opening that he capped off.
Leandro Paredes and Giovani Lo Celso must be credited first. The former drew in a breezy sliding tackle to rob the possession for Argentina, catching Colombia off guard. The latter’s line-cutting through ball on the other hand was right on the money. But they both needed a composed Martinez to materialize their efforts.
A one-two with Paredes by the midfield line – inviting pressure from the Colombian backline – a surging run to get at the end of Lo Celso’s ball, and a low finish stabbed in the bottom corner.
Through his way around the Argentinean group of supporters behind the goal, Martinez ran to his captain, who was forced to the bench after picking a nasty ankle injury in the first half. Lionel Messi had cried inconsolably when he was substituted. Now his face lit up with a smile as Martinez came to him to celebrate, undoubtedly, his most important goal in the Argentina shirt. For the duo, the moment marked a personal win.
ALTA EN EL CIELO 🏆 pic.twitter.com/vjZaBc1ssB
— CONMEBOL Copa América™️ (@CopaAmerica) July 15, 2024
Not that long ago, during Argentina’s golden run to a World Cup triumph, Martinez had lost his place in the playing XI due to his feeble goal-scoring form. Many questioned his place in the squad itself. It was at this time that Messi stood firmly in defense of the striker. “Lautaro is a very important player for us. He is a striker who lives by scoring goals,” Messi said.
Martinez would concede after his outing on Sunday, “When everything ended in Qatar and I had the gold medal hanging around my neck, I was obviously very happy because it took a lot of time to achieve it, but personally, I knew I was in debt.”
It may have taken another major tournament but Martinez has proved his worth in the world champions unit, finishing the tournament as the golden boot winner with five goals from six games. His bouncebackability has been put to test since his teen years.
This is a complete and utter disaster of a tournament. Kids are almost getting crushed, for God’s sake. 😔
This stadium is a World Cup 2026 venue, btw. Sort it out!! 😡#CopaAmerica pic.twitter.com/jo0TkhyIfP
— BlackWolf (@FPL_BlackWolf) July 15, 2024
There’s a reason why Martinez is referred to as El Toro (The Bull) in the Argentine dressing room. He was only 15 when one of the biggest clubs in South America, Boca Juniors came knocking. The club that was home to Diego Maradona, Juan Román Riquelme and Carlos Tevez among others, well before they became global icons for the sport. Despite the initial interest, the talks fizzled out as Boca ultimately rejected the forward, apprehensive over his ability to ultimately make the cut into their first team.
Over the course of next three years, Martinez responded by rising through the ranks at the Racing Club, attracting the attention of several European clubs for his agile, all-round abilities apart from a goal scoring panache.
They were on display for the most important goal of the tournament, in the midst of the most chaotic nights of this football summer, as Argentina added another star to their shirt.
