Several weeks have passed since the Argentine national team secured their second consecutive Copa America title by defeating Colombia in the final at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. Despite this, there remains some lingering dissatisfaction on the Colombian side regarding the tournament, particularly with the final match against the Albiceleste.
Argentina defeated Colombia 1-0 with a goal from Lautaro Martinez in extra time. Under the management of Lionel Scaloni, the Argentine squad justified their victory by playing at a high level during the extra period and demonstrating their superiority on the scoreboard. Meanwhile, Colombia ran out of steam, a point that their coach, Argentine Nestor Lorenzo, has offered an explanation for.
Nestor Lorenzo’s criticisms of Colombia’s short rest period in Copa America 2024
While he expressed being “satisfied” with the performance of the Colombian national team, Lorenzo pointed out a factor that worked against them and provided an advantage to Argentina. In an interview with SuperMitre, the former assistant to Jose Pekerman criticized the organization of the Copa America.
“One should never be complacent. Now, after analyzing the logistics, the matches, and the players’ expenses, I believe it was a bit uneven. We arrived in a physically disadvantaged position”, Lorenzo questioned.
Nestor Lorenzo, Colombia’s head coach
In this regard, the Colombia coach argued that his team had less rest time compared to Argentina, which affected them in such a physically demanding and tense final. “Considering we played six matches in 20 days, while Argentina played in 24, and they had their semifinals a day earlier—there were many factors that influenced how the start disadvantaged us more” he said.
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“In fact, many of my players asked to be substituted because they were cramping up. That had a significant impact; we were fit to compete, and we did well, but we fell a bit short. Playing two matches in Arizona—well, training there was extremely tough,” he concluded.
Argentina and Colombia will face each other again in the South American World Cup Qualifiers
Argentina and Colombia will renew their clash from the Copa America final, but this time in the South American World Cup Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. They will meet on September 10th in Barranquilla.
Ahead of this match, there is concern in Colombia over the high demand for tickets from local fans. Consequently, the Colombian Football Federation issued a statement clarifying that there will be a reduced capacity at the Metropolitano Stadium in Barranquilla and urged caution regarding ticket scalping for the game.
