For the first time in 23 years, Colombia is heading to a final.
10-man Colombia held on for the entire second half to knock off Uruguay, 1-0, in the Copa America semifinals at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. With the win, Los Cafeteros advance to the final on Sunday where they'll face Lionel Messi and Argentina.
Jefferson Lerma's first half header off a corner, from a great cross by James Rodriguez, was the difference in the game that had just about everything. Moments before the halftime whistle, Colombia right back Daniel Munoz was goaded into a reaction and he elbowed Uruguay's Manuel Ugarte in the chest. That earned Munoz a straight red card and an early bath, forcing Colombia to defend the rest of the match.
It didn't matter.
It seemed like every decision Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo made worked like a charm, as Colombia stifled Uruguay's attack. When Colombia won the ball, they relieved pressure by moving the ball up the field quickly, winning free kicks or at least letting the Colombia backline move up. Colombia's Camilo Vargas did make two saves, and Uruguay forward Luis Suarez hit the post in the second half.
But by the end, it was Colombia that was growing more into the game and Uruguay who looked out of answers moving forward, as the five-man Colombia backline played shutdown defense in the final 20 minutes.
The match was marred following the final whistle as multiple Uruguay players, including Nunez, jumped into the stands and got involved in an ongoing fracas between security, Uruguay fans, and Colombia fans.
MORE: 2024 Copa America fixtures, schedule, and results | Updated 2024 Copa America top goal scorers list
Uruguay vs. Colombia final score
| Final Score | Goal scorers | |
| Uruguay | 0 | |
| Colombia | 1 | Lerma (39') |
Venue: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)
Referee: Cesar Ramos (MEX)
Confirmed lineups:
Uruguay (4-2-3-1, right to left): Rochet (GK) — Caceres, Gimenez, Olivera — De la Cruz, Betancur, Ugarte, Valverde — Araujo, Nunez, Pellistri.
Colombia (4-3-3, right to left): Vargas (GK) — Munoz, D. Sanchez, Cuesta, Mojica — Rios, Lerma, Arias — J. Rodriguez, Cordoba, Diaz.
MORE: Preview Uruguay vs. Colombia with predictions, picks, and best bets
Uruguay vs. Colombia live updates, highlights from Copa America 2024
Full time: Colombia 1, Uruguay 0. Colombia has done it! They're in the final, and they'll face Lionel Messi and Argentina in the final this Sunday in Miami. Colombia suffered together, Nestor Lorenzo's substitutions helped keep Uruguay off the board, and Los Cafeteros won the dog fight that the game became in the second half.
A frustrated Uruguay had plenty of possession but not a lot to show for it, as they couldn't figure out how to break down the Colombia defense, especially once Cordoba was taken off for another centerback. Uruguay get to stay in North Carolina though, and they'll compete against Canada for third place in Copa America.
Tempers flared after the final whistle, as both teams had to be separated at midfield following some pushing and shoving from members of each team and their coaching staffs.
90th+7: Corner kick to Uruguay. This is their last chance, even though the Colombian defense has been immense all half. Rochet is up for this....the corner is cleared and here's a chance for Colombia, Lerma finds space at midfield down the right, Rochet is racing back. Lerma shoots....and it's still over the goal.
90th+6: Two quick yellow cards shown to Colombia. First one to Castano for time wasting, and then a second to Cuesta for a professional foul.
90th+5: URIBE OFF THE CROSSBAR! Uribe again has a 1-on-1 with Rochet, this time he tries to score down the middle but Rochet gets a little touch on it with his right thigh and it pushes the shot up to the crossbar. That would have put the game away.
Luis Diaz is still pumping up the crowd from the sidelines.
At the other end of the field, Gimenez, up from central defense tries to take a first-time shot and it goes well wide and out for a throw-in.
90th+3 min: Ugarte fouls Castano as Castano was speeding off towards the corner, and Colombia can take another 30 seconds off the clock before putting the ball in play.
90th+2 min: Cannobio is wide-open in the box and Olivera chips a pass into the box towards Cannobio, but Vargas is off his line fast and forces a save.
90th min: Seven minutes of stoppage time. Hardly seems enough.
89th min: Save Vargas! Uruguay work hard to keep possession even after a few crosses get cleared away. Nunez tries a shot from outside of the box and Vargas dives to his right and makes the save, taking a few more seconds off the clock.
Bielsa with one more role of the dice, brings on Agustin Cannobio for Nicolas de la Cruz.
87th min: URIBE WIDE! Oh my, what a chance for Colombia after a mistake by Rochet and hard running from Sinisterra just on the field, it's suddenly 3-on-2 for Colombia and Uribe gets the ball squared to him but Rochet runs out to cut down the angle and Uribe's shot goes wide. Best chance of the half for Colombia and one they needed to have.
86th min: Last bit of fresh legs on for Colombia. Luis Diaz is off after a terrific shift down a man, and Luis Sinisterra of Bournemouth comes on.
85th min: Patient passing around the box by Uruguay and it leads to a shot by Ugarte that takes a deflection off Mina and goes out for a corner kick. The ensuing corner is headed wide of goal by Gimenez.
82nd min: Outstanding work by Colombia's Luis Diaz to race on to an outlet and win a throw-in. Even though Colombia gives it away moments later, it gives the defense a minute to breath. This came moments after Darwin Nunez went on an incredible 60-yard run with the ball, before the Colombia defense closed around him and forced a turnover.
75th min: More defensive help for Colombia. Forward Jhon Cordoba is taken off and Yerry Mina, formerly of Everton, comes in.
74th min: Valverde just wide! Uruguay cycle the ball around the box and it ends up with Valverde, who tries to beat Vargas at his near post but it goes just wide of the goal to the left.
71st min: SUAREZ OFF THE POST! Olivera delivers a great pass into the middle and Suarez takes a touch to the outside and fires a strike that just shaves the right side of the post. So close to the game-tying goal.
70th min: Yellow card to Jose Maria Gimenez for taking down Castano right as Colombia was on the break. Professional foul and he knew exactly what he was doing.
68th min: Another save for Vargas, and this came after shouts for a penalty kick that Ramos waved away. Nunez centered to Araujo but he went down under some pressure from the Colombia defense. The ball ended up with de la Cruz but his low strike was easily stopped.
Varela, who came on in the first half, is now withdrawn. In his place? None other than Luis Suarez. Here we go!
66th min: SAVE Vargas! Nunez with a blazing fast dribble down the left and into the box, beats two Colombian defenders before firing a low shot that is well saved by Vargas and then helped out of the box by Sanchez.
63rd min: Yellow card to Guillermo Varela. He goes in for a hard foul on Diaz and nearly breaks the Liverpool forward's back with the tackle. Free kick to Colombia, but it doesn't beat the Uruguayan first defenders and it's cleared away to safety.
62nd min: While we continue to wait to return to action, Colombia makes two changes. James Rodriguez is sacrificed and Richard Rios is taken off the field with an injury. Kevin Castano and the veteran Mateus Uribe come on to shore up midfield.
58th min: Rios is back on the field after extensive treatment but he's fouled again, this time by Araujo, and it's another extensive delay. Both team's players are circled around the referee trying to ask how long this will be. Looks like Colombia's players wanted a yellow card on that tackle as well, to no avail. This second half really hasn't gotten going thanks to the injury breaks.
55th min: Yellow card to James. He got in Ramos' way multiple times while Ramos was trying to head over to Rios because James wanted to tell Ramos that he should have stopped play way sooner. James just smiles and walks away after needlessly earning that yellow.
54th min: Outstanding work on Colombia's right wing by Richard Rios, dancing left and right with the ball before he's double-teamed in the corner and Nunez wins the ball off him, sending Rios flying in the process. Rios is down in pain but the referee Ramos lets play continue. Finally, with the ball out of play down the field, Ramos lets the medical staff on the field to care for Rios.
52nd min: Clearance from Sanchez! Nice chance for Uruguay down the right wing this time, Olivera crosses into the middle but Sanchez is there to send it sky high and out of play.
50th min: Valverde is so good, isn't he? The game just seems like it's going at half-speed for him. The playmaker takes his time and sets up Maxi Araujo on the left, but his cross into the box is way over any teammate and the chance goes away.
Meanwhile, a missed header in midfield leads to a Colombia chance for Cordoba at the other end and it's out for a corner kick. James delivers another great cross and Cuesta wins the header but it's well wide of goal. Colombia is going to be hoping for more set pieces.
48th min: It's all Uruguay on the ball as we start the second half, Colombia is sitting deep off the ball. The heavy Colombia support looks to help its team with chants of "Colombia, Colombia, Colombia."
46th min: We're underway in the second half from Charlotte. Right back Santiago Arias (formerly of FC Cincinnati) comes on for Jhon Arias (no relation) for Colombia.
For Uruguay, Cristian Olivera of Los Angeles FC and Giorgian de Arrascaeta enter the match for Matheus Olivera and Facundo Pellistri. Bielsa sacrifices one defender for an extra attacker.
Halftime: Colombia 1, Uruguay 0. That was an instant classic of a first half. We had great chances at both ends, a solid tactical battle, great tackles, some hard fouls, and then finally a goal and just before halftime, a red card.
With the lead, Colombia could consolidate their attacking threat and focus on defense for the final 45 minutes and hope to hold on for the rest of the game. Uruguay meanwhile needs more creativity and now, up a man, will we see someone like Giorgian de Arrascaeta come on to impact the match?
45th min: Cordoba completely whiffs on a chance on the volley, but he passes it back in the box to Diaz, and his chip is easily caught by Rochet. And there's the halftime whistle.
45th min: Luis Diaz is trying to put his nation on his back. Diaz dribbles into the box on the left side, shifts to his right and left and finally earns a corner kick off Varela.
45th min: RED CARD MUNOZ! Ramos has seen and heard enough from his fellow officials, Munoz is given a straight red card and now not only is Colombia down to 10 men for the rest of the match, but their star right back is out for the final - should Colombia make it.
45th min: The game has devolved as players are down on both sides. We saw Munoz, who is on a yellow, react with a wild elbow to Ugarte behind him and Ugarte goes down injured. Let's see what Cesar Ramos makes of this.
43rd min: SAVE ROCHET! It's been all Colombia again since the goal and they have some quick passing in the box and Rios receives a square pass and he shoots early, trying to catch Rochet, but the Uruguayan goalkeeper dives well to his left and makes a huge save.
41st min: In the pre-tournament friendly against the USA, we saw Lerma out-jump American defenders on multiple set pieces, and he just showed that skill again. Uruguay has no answer for him in this situation.
39th min: GOAL COLOMBIA! It's Jefferson Lerma! The Crystal Palace midfielder rises highest at the back post and this time, James cross finds him perfectly and Lerma tucks in a header just past Rochet. Two Uruguayan players went for the cross but couldn't jump as high as they were backing up to the ball. And the crowd goes wild!
38th min: Free kick to Columbus. James delivers a curled cross into the box and Lerma jumps at the far post but it's over his head and directed out of play for a Colombia corner kick.
35th min: Uruguay is forced into a substitution as Betancur limps off the field. It looks as if he smashed into Ugarte on a tackle both were making on Colombia in the middle of the field, and Betancur came out worse for wear. Guillermo Varela takes his place, a right back.
34th min: James, who has really been pushed out to the right and the periphery of this game, gets on the ball and delivers a great cross to Cordoba but his header in the box goes wide.
31st min: Munoz is in the referee's book now. The Crystal Palace right back smashes through the back of Manuel Ugarte and is shown a yellow card by the referee Cesar Ramos. The ensuing free kick is grabbed by Colombia's Camilo Vargas.
30th min: Lerma fouls Betancur in the middle of the field. That's Lerma's second or third foul, he's got to be careful.
27th min: Nunez just wide! What a chance for Uruguay on the break after the Colombia free kick is cleared. Valverde chips a pass into the middle for Nunez, he takes a touch and fires a shot towards the far post but it misses by a foot. Still 0-0.
25th min: So much is happening! Nicolas de la Cruz goes in for a slide tackle from behind on Arias. De la Cruz got the ball but went through Arias and earns a yellow card.
24th min: Great cross down the right by de la Cruz and it's long to Nunez, who absolutely blasts one on the volley and misses the goal, the net, everything. Outstanding attempt but way off line.
23rd min: Incredible run by Betancur after winning the ball in his own third, he evades two tackles down the left sideline and continues dribbling forward until Colombia gets the ball finally off him. Eventually, Uruguay wins a free kick in midfield after possession traded a couple more times.
22nd min: Mistake from Mojica and Nunez comes out of nowhere to latch-on to a pass into the box and fires a difficult strike on goal, and it goes wide. But that's the danger Uruguay poses. They can quickly get on the ball in the box and shoot.
20th min: Free kick to Colombia. James Rodriguez curls one in but Rochet is off his line and rises high to grab it and clear the danger.
18th min: Nunez JUST WIDE! Outstanding dribble and then pass from Valverde and he threads the needle to Nunez between Colombian defenders. He drives forward and unleashes a left-footed shot that misses the post by inches. What a chance for Uruguay.
15th min: Just wide from Munoz! Great work down the left from Diaz and after getting a deflection back to him off a Uruguayan defender, he takes the ball to the sideline and crosses into the box where Munoz rises high and puts it wide.
11th min: Diaz dribbles on the left side of the box and floats a cross over to the back post, but it's just over Cordoba's head.
8th min: Boos from the Colombia-dominated crowd as Pellistri receives a long pass and then ends up sending the ball all the way back to goalkeeper Sergio Rochet.
6th min: Arias unleashes a blast from 30-yards out but he misses wide and high. Always leaning back on the strike.
4th min: Colombia has been a little slow in their build-up and it's allowing Uruguay's quick counter-press to get in the face of the Colombia players, leading to multiple turnovers.
After losing the ball right on the touchline, Jefferson Lerma slides in with a hard tackle and momentarily wins the ball back before de la Cruz earns a foul.
2nd min: First attack of the day for Uruguay breaks down after Pellistri is called for offside.
1st half kickoff: Here we go! We're underway from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Colombia vs. Uruguay for a place in the Copa America final!
5 mins to kickoff: The teams are out on the field! National anthem time.
10 mins to kickoff: Luis Diaz is one goal away from his 15th for Colombia. Per BetMGM, he's +320 odds to score at any time tonight.
15 mins to kickoff: Players are off the field and we're getting ready for kickoff. Anthems will be here in a few minutes.
30 mins to kickoff: Our man on the ground, Kyle Bonn, says as the seats are filling up, he's seeing a whole lot of yellow. Looks like Colombian fans will be dominating this one, a theme that's been noticeable throughout Copa America.
Colombia fans were filling up downtown Charlotte outside the stadium in the hours before the match as well.
Es muy grande la presencia de fanáticos colombianos en las afueras del Bank of America Stadium. Todavía no se abrieron las puertas del escenario. @ovacionuy @elpaisuy pic.twitter.com/RDAGLcWrDa
— Juan Pablo Romero (@jpromeroh) July 10, 2024
45 mins to kickoff: Lineup notes.
Colombia: Coach Nestor Lorenzo makes one change, bringing Jefferson Lerma back into the starting lineup after he sat out last match with a yellow card accumulation suspension. Veteran Mateus Uribe is the odd man out, but we will likely see him coming on off the bench in the second half.
Uruguay: Coach Marcelo Bielsa is forced into two changes to replace two key players. Ronald Araujo is out injured after picking up a knock in the penalty kick shootout against Brazil, and Nahitan Nandez misses after he was shown a red card late in the last match. In their place, Bielsa has brought in Rodrigo Betancur and Sebastian Caceres and changed the formation to three at the back. We'll see how much this affects the side.
1 hour to kickoff: Here's Colombia's starting lineup.
🚨 𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐑
— Selección Colombia (@FCFSeleccionCol) July 10, 2024
Así vamos para enfrentar a 🇺🇾 por las Semifinales de la Copa América.#TodosSomosColombia 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/sVdd3mKkUz
1 hour to kickoff: Lineups are out! First up - Uruguay.
ℹ️ 𝙇𝘼 𝙋𝙇𝘼𝙉𝙄𝙇𝙇𝘼
— Selección Uruguaya (@Uruguay) July 10, 2024
Información de los 25 que estarán disponibles para el partido con Colombia, por semis de la @CopaAmerica.
📺 https://t.co/qVMBrYJR1J #ElEquipoQueNosUne pic.twitter.com/yk9nWlByii
1 hour, 20 mins to kickoff: Marcelo Bielsa's style of play has been clear to see throughout the tournament. He wants his teams to play up-tempo, in-your-face soccer in the attacking end of the field. And if the eye-test wasn't enough, Opta has stats to back it up.
So far in Copa America, Uruguay is the only team with a higher percentage of touches in the attacking third (26% of touches), than in their defensive third (24% of touches).
1 hour, 40 mins to kickoff: While a lot of focus has come on James, and for good reason, the Colombia attack as a whole has been terrific. Colombia leads all nations with 11 goals scored at Copa America. Most impressively, no one player has more than 2 goals scored, as the goals have been shared across the team from front (Luis Diaz) to back (Daniel Munoz).
The last time the Cafeteros lead the tournament in goals scored? 2001, when they last won it. Could we see a repeat?
11 - Colombia 🇨🇴 llegó a 11 goles en la CONMEBOL Copa América 2024. La última vez que alcanzó esa cifra en una misma edición de la Copa fue en 2001, cuando fue campeón. Fe. pic.twitter.com/QEj0h4aW3N
— OptaJavier (@OptaJavier) July 7, 2024
2 hours to kickoff: While he's not nearly as flashy a player as James Rodriguez, Uruguay midfielder Federico Valverde will play a major role in the outcome of this match. The Real Madrid star does a lot of dirty work in midfield, and he has end product too — his three shots and one chance created saw him involved in one third of Uruguay's 12 total shots against Brazil in the quarterfinal.
At the club level, Valverde's been given a nod of respect by Real Madrid, handed the No. 8 worn by Toni Kroos for next season following the German's retirement.
Fede Valverde will take Toni Kroos' No. 8 shirt at Real Madrid 🤍 pic.twitter.com/k5DpwcK3IA
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 10, 2024
2 hours 30 mins to kick: Colombia playmaker James Rodriguez has been brilliant this tournament, leading the Copa America with five assists and scoring his first goal in the quarterfinal against Panama. Uruguay will have to use some of their physicality to disrupt the 32-year-old's game lest he continue his revival summer.
Most direct goal involvements at the 2024 Copa America:
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 10, 2024
◎ 6 - James Rodríguez 🇨🇴
◎ 4 - Lautaro Martínez 🇦🇷
◎ 4 - Salomón Rondón 🇻🇪
◎ 3 - Daniel Muñoz 🇨🇴
◎ 3 - Maximiliano Araújo 🇺🇾
◎ 3 - Jhon Córdoba 🇨🇴#CopaAmerica pic.twitter.com/VhNSBPvTma
3 hours before kickoff: Uruguay have played some brilliant football in the last calendar year under Marcelo Bielsa, which is what made their approach to the quarterfinal matchup against Brazil so baffling. They committed an outlandish 26 fouls in that game, hacking away at Brazilian players and testing the limits of Argentine referee Dario Herrera, who was happy to let them get away with repeated stoppages. The Athletic called it "the dirties game at the Copa America so far."
All eyes will be on Mexican official Cesar Ramos tonight, who will have to be on the lookout for a similar tactic, and be ready to book players for persistent fouling unless he wishes to see the game devolve in a similar manner. In his two matches so far, he has whistled for 23 fouls in the scoreless draw between Brazil and Costa Rica and then 31 fouls between Argentina and Peru in two group-stage matches, showing nine yellow cards, including five to Peru.
There were 41 fouls in the game between Uruguay and Brazil, the most at Copa America 2024 pic.twitter.com/eDUKteiLEh
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) July 7, 2024
Uruguay vs. Colombia kickoff time
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA / Canada | Wed, Jul. 10 | 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT |
| UK | Thu, Jul. 11 | 1 a.m. GMT |
| Australia | Thu, Jul. 11 | 10 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Thu, Jul. 11 | 5:30 a.m. IST |
Uruguay vs. Colombia lineups, team news, starting 11
Colombia will have Crystal Palace midfielder Jefferson Lerma back from his yellow card accumulation suspension, and he should reclaim his spot from Mateus Uribe in the middle.
Bologna center-back Jhon Lucumi was injured in the opener blocking a shot by Julio Enciso, and has not played since. The injury is bad enough that defender Davinson Sanchez held up Lucumi's jersey after scoring a goal against Costa Rica, dedicating the strike to his injured teammate.
In the twilight of his career, 32-year-old James Rodriguez started every game of the group stage for Colombia, leading the competition with five assists to go along with his penalty goal against Panama in the quarterfinal.
Colombia starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Vargas (GK) — Munoz, D. Sanchez, Cuesta, Mojica — Rios, Lerma, Arias — J. Rodriguez, Cordoba, Diaz.
Colombia subs (max 15): Matchday squad released one hour prior to kickoff
Uruguay suffered a big blow when star defender Ronald Araujo went down early in the quarterfinal match with a hamstring injury. He is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, meaning he is done for the Copa America and will likely miss the start of the club season with Barcelona.
He will be replaced by captain Jose Gimenez at center-back, who came in for Araujo against Brazil and missed a penalty in the shootout.
Right-back Nahitan Nandez is suspended for this match after his straight red card against Brazil for an ugly, studs-up tackle on Rodrygo in the 71st minute, and will be replaced by Flamengo veteran Guillermo Varela.
Uruguay starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Rochet (GK) — Caceres, Gimenez, Olivera — De la Cruz, Betancur, Ugarte, Valverde — Araujo, Nunez, Pellistri.
Uruguay subs (max 15): Matchday squad released one hour prior to kickoff
Uruguay vs. Colombia live stream, TV channel
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | FS1, TUDN, Univision | Fubo USA, Fox Sports app/website, TUDN app/website, Univision NOW, ViX |
| Canada | TSN (1, 3, 4), CTV Two, RDS | TSN+, CTV app, RDS app |
| UK | Premier Sports 1 | Premier Sports Player |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | — | — |
USA: Uruguay vs. Colombia from Charlotte, NC will be televised in the United States on FS1, with a Spanish-language broadcast via Univision and TUDN. All three channels are available to stream on Fubo, who are offering a FREE seven-day trial.
Spanish-language coverage is also available on streaming platform ViX.
Canada: All Copa America matches can be seen in Canada on TSN's respective TV channel and live streaming services, while this match is also televised on CTV Two. RDS provides French-language coverage.
UK: This match will be shown in the UK on Premier Sport Player's platforms.
Australia: Optus is the streaming partner for the Copa America in Australia
India: As yet, there is no official broadcaster for Copa America matches in India.
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