The sad part is that we’re going to have an anxious wait now to hear about injuries inside and outside the stadium. How seriously is Messi hurt? Will he get to continue his glorious run in MLS? And more worryingly, was anyone seriously injured in the chaotic scenes at the stadium gates?

Concacaf and Conmebol have some soul-searching to do. Passions run high in the Americas, and most people would consider that a good thing. But the farcical scenes of brutal fouls going uncalled, followed by mobs of angry players from both teams chasing the referee like a town chasing out Frankenstein’s monster, don’t sit well with a lot of fans.

But you can’t say it’s not dramatic. And you can’t say an unworthy team is lifting a trophy. Argentina don’t necessarily pick fights. But they know how to end them – with a goal and a defensive stand.

Hope you all enjoyed the Copa coverage and find something interesting to do tomorrow. See you for the Olympics in a couple of weeks.

Let’s put it this way – the last time Argentina were in a major international tournament and didn’t win it, no one had heard of COVID-19. They won this tournament in 2021, the World Cup in 2022, and now this tournament again.

They often do it without looking brilliant. But they have a mix of sublime skill and dogged determination.

Comparing them with Spain is a difficult question and maybe even a strange one. As much as the game has gone global, with most of the best players in the world mixing it up in the world’s top five leagues or their satellites, soccer in the Americas just looks and feels like a different sport than soccer in Europe. Argentina probably wouldn’t have won Euro 2024. But Spain probably wouldn’t have won Copa América 2024.

Winning in the Americas means slogging it out in the mud. Not literally, though field conditions have been questioned throughout. Messi wins by getting mes- … no, I can’t bring myself to make that pun. But you get the idea.

In basketball terms, Spain is the Boston Celtics. They won an intense but well-regulated sport. Argentina is the best basketball team on the playground, where the nets are made of chains and fouls are subject to the whims of the masses.

World Cup 2026 might be fun, right?

We have a VAR check. We think. There’s no other reason for the referee to be holding the ball.

Borja decides to run toward the referee, as if that’ll help his case. He’s cut off by Argentina players.

This is silly. The Euro rule of only having captains talk with the ref seems to be working better.

It’s a dropped ball to Argentina. Players are supposed to be a couple of yards away. They’re not. But Martinez kicks it back toward the byline and then picks it up, and …

120 min +2: It’s frantic action in the Argentina penalty area! At least three players get a head to the bouncing ball. Several players end up on the ground. Eventually, Martinez collects the ball, and all Colombia can do is look to the referee and make a desperate plea for a penalty.

120 min +1: Not a bad buildup from Colombia, and then it’s cleared all the way down to Vargas, the only player in the Colombia half.

120 min: Colombia are playing with no poise whatsoever. Uribe finds a sliver of space and fires a long shot into the stands.

Only two minutes of stoppage time, because referees in this tournament don’t understand the concept of time.

118 min: Yellow to Lo Celso for a foul at midfield.

Colombia play a very speculative ball that sits in the Florida air until Martinez can position himself underneath it to catch with ease.

117 min: Argentina are wasting a lot of time with this sub, but perhaps we can cut them some slack. Angel Di Maria is walking off the field in an Argentina shirt for the last time. Tears are flowing. Otomendi is the sub coming in.

As long as the ref adds at least three minutes for everything that’s happened in the last … well, three minutes.

114 min: This may end with some violence, but give the referee credit here for trying to calm things down. Borja thumps Paredes in the chest, and several Argentine players make their feelings known by grabbing his shirt and yelling. Teammates break them up, though De Paul continues to walk alongside Borja and yell at him.

Yellow to Borja.

Paredes helped to win the ball at midfield. Lo Celso then tipped it into the path of Martinez, who was one-on-one with Vargas. The Colombian keeper sprawled downward, and Martinez put it right over him.

111 min: How is Di Maria doing this? He’s still creating this late.

109 min: Colombia with a good spell of possession, and Carrascal flicks the ball forward to Borja. Lisandro Martinez has to slide to interpose his body and force the ball out for a corner kick.

107 min: CHANCE for Argentina, probably a shot in Di Maria’s mind at first, but it turns into a cross to the onrushing Lautaro Martinez.

Joe Pearson: “This ref reminds me of one of the neighborhood moms, who had four boys. ‘Don’t call me unless there’s blood. Lots of blood.’”

Colombia had three subs left? They bringing in Carrascal, Miguel Borja and Uribe. They’re replacing Jhon Arias, Lerma and Luis Diaz.

The only midfielders remaining from the start of the game are Argentina’s De Paul and Di Maria. All of the other midfielders and all of the forwards on both teams have been replaced.

105 min +1: In first extra-time stoppage time, Quintero cleanly flicks the ball over a midfielder and rushes it ahead with it. He plays to Diaz, who does everything but find an open lane to shoot.

105 min: I’m not sure anything is a foul any more. Some of these charges might be legal shoulder-to-shoulder contact that isn’t too reckless, but some are dubious.

103 min: Players are hitting the turf like rain falling in a Southern summer thunderstorm. They’re exhausted but are still throwing themselves into every challenge.

Corner to Colombia, but Martinez alertly tracks the ball and grabs it.

99 min: I know Rob Smyth likes to give updated formations after a lot of subs are made. I’ll see if I can figure out Argentina’s …

The first two subs were like-for-like injury subs, not that there’s anyone like Messi. Molina replaced Montiel; Gonzalez replaced Messi. After this wave of subs …

So most of the back line is intact:

GK: E. Martinez
LB: Tagliafico
CB: L. Martinez
CB: Romero
RB: Molina

L. Martinez and Romero collide as they converge to cut off a Colombian attack. Ouch.

97 min: Triple substitution for Argentina. In hockey, that’s a line change.

Off: Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Mac Allister

On: Paredes (Roma), Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur), and oh by the way, the team’s leading scorer in this tournament, Lautaro Martinez (Inter).

95 min: HUGE CHANCE for Argentina and one of the best saves of the tournament. De Paul works the ball toward the right post and cuts it back diagonally to Gonzalez, who gets a nice open shot from 12 yards out only to see the scrambling Vargas dive and trap the ball to his body maybe one foot from the goal line.

94 min: Perhaps it’s the green shirt and shorts silhouetted against the green grass, but all I saw of Argentina’s goalkeeper Martinez as he cut out that through ball was a blur.

93 min: Zzzzzz. They can’t keep up the end-to-end action all night.

91 mins: Argentina press early. Colombia seem to be doing a bit of time-wasting already.

The cameras catch Messi’s ankle. It’s severely swollen.

Subs … we think. Juan Fernando Quintero is agitating like he’s about to come in, and at least, we see the sign – he’s replacing James Rodriguez. Pity. Each team has lost their most exciting player.

Zach Neeley wonders what has become of the fans who appeared to be climbing through a vent to get into the stadium. “Did they think those work like the warp pipes in Super Mario 3?”

Liz White insists that the best cover version ever is William Shatner’s take on Common People, and I will agree that’s in the top five. I sometimes hear Shatner yelling, “You’ll never FAIL … (dramatic pause) … like common people” in my sleep, and I don’t mind it.

90 min +4: How are Colombia leaving Argentina’s attackers this much space?

They manage to get the ball going forward but lose possession near the byline.

90 min +2: Di Maria, operating on the right, gets the ball in space and barrels in on goal. Colombia’s clearance isn’t convincing.

Argentina play it back in, and Lerma tries to pass it back to a teammate, only to see the ball bounce awkwardly about five yards short of that teammate. He hoofs it into the sky to concede a corner kick.

Di Maria takes that corner, and it’s headed to Gonzalez, who mishits it.

That was the second minute of the four we’re going to get in stoppage time.

89 min: First Colombia subs at last. Rios and Cordoba depart. Borre and Castano are in.

88 min: CHANCE for Argentina, as Gonzalez rises majestically to head a cross back across the face of goal. Alvarez will regret his hesitance in racing to that spot, where he could’ve tapped the ball into an acre of empty net.

86 min: Argentina press forward and force a bad Colombia pass to win a corner kick.

Di Maria will take it in Messi’s absence.

Mac Allister and John Arias are in a staredown with mild shoving, as if hyping a boxing match.

84 min: Things are just getting strange now. Colombia play the ball forward, but Luis Diaz drags down Romero to give Argentina a free kick.

82 min: Colombia free kick in a dangerous spot, 25 yards out if that. Rodriguez, though, blasts it into the wall.

80 min: Gonzalez knocks down Santiago Arias but draws no whistle. In some form of karmic retribution, Gonzalez trips before he can shoot.

End-to-end action! That was Argentina’s best chance since the disallowed goal.

78 min: Free kick for Colombia, about 35 yards out. Rodriguez puts it in a good spot, and Cuesta gets his head to it, but it’s wide.

Romero is down now for Argentina, but he straggled back to his feet and will continue.

74 min: VAR check for a possible penalty as bodies go flying in Argentina’s penalty area. No PK given.

69 min: The broadcasters are trying to capture Argentina fans reacting to Messi’s emotional departure. But every time they show some fans, they see themselves on the big screen and immediately smile and wave.

We have a free kick for Colombia deep in their own half, but now Montiel is sitting down on the field. Atletico Madrid’s Nahuel Molina comes in.

No idea what happened to Montiel. We saw what happened to Messi, and the bad news is that it’s a non-contact injury. That may sound strange, but when players are kicked, elbowed or otherwise banged into by opponents, it’s usually just a painful bruise. If a player has an awkward step and hits the ground, it’s sometimes a serious ligament injury. No need to speculate here, but the concern is obvious.

68 min: Messi is in tears on the bench.

The sub isn’t Lautaro Martinez, who leads Argentina with four goals in this tournament. It’s Nicolas Gonzalez of Fiorentina.

64 min: Messi is down, and this could be bad. Replay shows he tripped and may have twisted something.

That’s it. He’s subbed out.

60 min: Cordoba gets a bit too ambitious with a back-heel pass intended for an onrushing pair of teammates, but it goes behind them.

Mac Allister, fresh from winning a challenge with an impressive hockey check that was probably just inside the bounds of what most referees would allow, fouls James Rodriguez to concede a free kick near the center circle. It floats to the top of the penalty area and is shot over the bar.

57 min: CHANCE for Argentina – multiple chances, actually. Mac Allister storms through the middle to collect a pass, and he heads it down into a defender. There are half-hearted calls for a handball, but it would clearly be a harsh call.

The ball pings around the penalty area, goes back out, and then Di Maria rips a shot that forces Vargas to sprawl and punch out for a corner kick.

Everyone’s mad and yelling at the referee. Or, as I call it, Saturday.

53 min: CHANCE for Colombia. Jhon Arias takes a long shot that’s deflected out for a corner. The ball sails to the far post for Cordoba, who heads it back across to Sanchez, who rises to get his head on it but can’t keep the shot under the bar.

Just a reminder – this game would have extra time, even though previous rounds did not.

51 min: Everyone’s whacking each other with elbows and forearms, and everyone’s down injured. And some people are slipping on the wet turf where the sprinklers operated. Ugly stuff.

49 min: CHANCE for Argentina, with Mac Allister slicing through the penalty area. The ball ends up at Di Maria’s feet while Colombian keeper Vargas does all he can to chase while the ball is out of his reach. Vargas ends up cutting off Di Maria’s shooting angle and making the save.

47 min: CHANCE for Colombia, as a cross into the center is flicked on to the right flank, where Santiago Arias is waiting all alone to drill a diagonal shot just wide of the far post.

46 min: And we’re back.

Has it been 25 minutes already? Teams are taking the field. Sprinklers are running on part of the field – maybe the part where Shakira just played?

Now Shakira is dancing with creatures that look like the robots from Styx album Kilroy Was Here and the video for Mr. Roboto while large illuminations that look like rubies float around.

No matter what’s going on, though, Shakira manages to find the camera and strut towards it. I think she’s trying to tell us something.

A GIANT WOLF-LIKE CREATURE, SURELY ALIEN IN NATURE, HAS DESCENDED INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE STADIUM … oh … that’s the halftime show. How’d they do that?

The first shoutout to Colombia comes about one minute into Shakira’s opening song.

Matthew Richman points out a potential reason for Messi to roll around as he did: “ox commentary is not usually a great source of insight, but they pointed out that Messi’s rolls were to get back on the pitch so that play couldn’t be restarted. We’ll see how he’s moving in the second half!”

Speaking of crowd-related chaos, your highly recommended halftime reading concerns the “White Horse” FA Cup of 1923, in which mounted police methodically moved the surplus spectators off the playing surface at Wembley.

45 min: James Rodriguez takes a knock to the back of the leg, and the referee lets play continue rather awkwardly for a bit, while players on both teams stop because everyone knows that’s a foul. Finally, the whistle blows.

Only one minute of stoppage time despite the lengthy injury delays.

43 min: Tagliafico makes a foray forward from his left back position, and Santiago Arias gets him with a stray elbow/forearm to bring him down, yielding a free kick and a stern admonishment from the referee but no yellow card. The kick is played toward the center but headed over the bar.

42 min: Argentina turn over the ball, and Luis Diaz is briefly off to the races, but De Paul runs him down and wins it back. Quite the battler, Mr. De Paul.

40 min: Shot for Colombia – a Jhon Arias header that doesn’t have much on it.

And another shot, this one a worm-burner from long range that’s straight at Martinez.

39 min: Messi was briefly out but is back. He walks at a snail’s pace. Then the ball is played to him, and he puts on a nifty set of moves to free himself from a defender.

He’s still limping, though.

36 min: Messi is down. He rolls around for a while – which usually indicates that someone is not seriously hurt because it seems like a really bad idea to have repeated contact with the ground if you’ve just picked up a bruise or a sprain or a break.

He was hurt in a collision as he was going over the byline with the ball, a result of the Colombian defense swarming to shut off any path he had toward goal.

32 min: I’m going to say that was a weak advantage call from our referee – Colombia didn’t have the ball in a good spot, and they would’ve loved the free kick instead.

Colombia back with it, and Lerma unleashes a SHOT from more than 25 yards out that nicks off the outstretched hands of the Argentine goalkeeper Martinez and just past the post. Possibly a brilliant save, though he didn’t seem to affect the flight path that much.

30 min: The mesmerizing Colombian passing attack has given way to the jarring sights of fouls and pointless passes in midfield.

And just after I say that, Luis Diaz brilliantly back-heels the ball to keep it in play, and he sends it straight to a teammate.

29 min: This is a long break for on-field treatment. Most referees would only allow this for a head injury, which this is not.

27 min: Yellow card to Cordoba, who reached out his leg rather recklessly to try to get to a cross from the right. Lisandro Martinez is down and in some distress.

25 min: Colombia attack down the left, with Mojica coming up from left back to join the fun. A cross doesn’t find anyone in yellow, though, and Argentina take a goal kick.

And they quickly lose the ball again. This is astounding.

23 min: The Colombian press is targeting Argentina’s left flank, where Tagliafico has now struggled on more than one occasion to get free.

20 min: CHANCE for Argentina off some smooth buildup work. The ball winds up with Di Maria on the left, and he centers for his longtime running mate, Messi. But the Inter Miami man doesn’t quite hit it cleanly – which for a split second seems to be worse for Colombia because the ball moves unpredictably. Vargas has time, though, to reset himself and smother the shot.

17 min: Colombia still bossing this game, which I’m sure is a surprise to many. But when you’re in the form they’ve been in, your confidence is surely sky-high.

They take their feet off the gas pedal for a moment, though, allowing Argentina’s defenders to pad their pass-completion stats without actually passing midfield.

14 min: Rob Coughlin writes again to say he was referring to disorder at the Euro 2020(1) final at Wembley.

In other news of unruly behavior, Enzo Fernandez plows into James Rodriguez. Free kick from 35 yards out for Colombia. It’s overhit, and Martinez snares it.

The sound and video on the Fox broadcast (at least on what I’m seeing and hearing) are about three seconds out of sync, so I’m going to know what happens before it happens.

12 min: Santiago Arias overlaps on the right and puts in a dangerous cross that Argentina has to clear for a Colombian corner. From that, Martinez has to make his second save of the match already.

10 min: Argentina briefly break the Colombian grip on the game, but just long enough for a goal kick to sail down the field to allow Colombia to collect.

Zach Neeley writes: “The locals involved in stadium logistics for a match like this are people that run the stadium itself and local public safety, not the citizens of say Miami in general. It’s silly to be offended by expressing (mild) concern that this stadium will be hosting World Cup matches in not too long. Completely missing the important part imho.”

I think it is indeed mild concern. Would I worry as a fan? No. Would I be taking notes if I worked for the World Cup organizing committee? I’d better be.

8 min: At least 25 passes so far in this Colombian possession, but they’re going backwards.

7 min: OFF THE POST from Colombia’s Cordoba, who took a short cross and fired across the face of goal.

5 min: Colombia are also showing some interest in pressing, leading to a clearance that looks more like Olympic taekwondo.

Colombia win it back and get the first shot on goal, though it’s an easy one for Martinez to handle.

3 min: And that corner kick takes a bit of time as our officials try in vain to get players to quit shoving each other.

2 min: It’s 85 degrees (Fahrenheit, obviously – we’re not on Venus) and humid, and Argentina are still pressing the Colombian defense as if their lives depending on it.

Argentina win a corner kick.

1 min: A half-chance for Argentina already.

It’s partially paywalled, but veteran Miami soccer writer Michelle Kaufman has a recap of how things transpired to this point.

The new kickoff time is …

Well, they haven’t said. But the bad news is that they’re just about to start the national anthems … after a few more repetitions of the Copa theme music. Ah, at last, they’ve cut it.

So the good news is that they’re just about to start the national anthems.

Back to the more mundane matter of what we’re supposed to do after the Copa/Euro double ends, Jeremy Spinks writes, “Can I suggest getting back to worrying about football transfers like we are meant to do for 8 weeks?”

Yeah, what’s the latest on Alphonso Davies?

We have a report on fans being treated by medical personnel:

I’ve seen a couple of suggestions that the game shouldn’t be played tonight at all.

Just me speaking here – I would be absolutely terrified to be in that stadium if they were to cancel the proceedings.

Paul Mason asks: “How are you managing staying up so late? We are on the espresso martinis and energy drinks.”

Being in the USA helps. The sun just set a few minutes ago.

Of course, I’m the maniac who covers Olympic sports even when they’re in Asia and I end up sleeping during the day, so …

Joe Pearson argues with my take on the best cover version ever: “OMG, as the kids don’t say anymore. The best cover of all time is clearly Santana’s take on Black Magic Woman. I will accept no substitutes!”

That’s quite good as well.

Fans going to the game, or a cut scene from Ocean’s 11?

Our match officials are …

Referee: Raphael Claus (BRA)
AR 1: Bruno Pires (BRA)
AR 2: Rodrigo Correa (BRA)
4th Official: Juan Benitez (PAR)
5th Official: Eduardo Cardozo (PAR)
VAR: Rodolpho Toski (BRA)
AVAR: Danilo Manis (BRA)

Messi has had a run-in with Claus in the past. The language used was improper for this forum. (I think. I’ve never officially asked.)

Joe Pearson checks back in to say Rosemary Clooney’s originals are better than the cover versions to which he was listening.

Along those lines, can we all agree that The Sundays’ version of Wild Horses is the best cover version ever?

Rob Coughlin writes: “Your, ‘The next World Cup will be held here’ is very offensive as a Miami native. But I’m sure this could never happen in a place like….London.”

I’m a boring American, so I can’t speak for Britain, but I think the days of crowd crushes and other disasters are well in the past by now. Did I forget something from the Olympics?

In any case – in case you’re not watching Fox, this is indeed a topic of conversation on the broadcast.

Ryan Casey, though, offers this defense: “While I do understand the side-eyed reactions at the U.S given the 2026 WC is approaching shortly, this is very much a CONMEBOL issue more than a national one. The U.S is second to none in private security contracting (not something I brag about granted), but given how the South American federation has handled other logistical facets of this tournament, I doubt any of them were deployed tonight.”

I’ll say this – a lot of people doubted that the 2002 Winter Olympics should go forward. I’ve never felt safer in my life than I did was there. Everything was locked down. Same for Beijing, but the games I covered in the rest of the country were a little less organized. In Torino, the police seemed like they were going to turn on us at any time, like the stormtroopers did to the Jedi.

How bad is it?

I was tempted to counter with some of the wilder things I’ve seen in my journalism career – being stranded by the media bus in Qinhuangdao was stressful but kind of funny in hindsight, and I covered emotionally charged protests during the 1991 Gulf War, but then I got this email from Kathryn Cehrs:

“After Colombian fans stormed the gates at 6:00 the stadium locked the gates until 7:30. No one entered in that time. At 7:30 they let in 3 people at a time through the gates. This continued until 8:00. At 8:00 at the SE gate they opened all the gates all the way. There was an extreme crowd surge/crush. There were no security checks or ticket checks. The entire crowd shoved through the gates at once. After the crowd got through they closed the gates again. I literally fought for my life. I felt something in my chest snap and I lost a shoe in the crush. I am lucky to be alive.”

This is truly heartbreaking.

Liz White has an idea for what to do in a post-Copa summer: “I have a project I’ve been meaning to start with all my sports-free time. I want to try the chaat papri at as many different South Asian take-outs as possible, in the hunt for the best one. I think the key is the balance between the crispiness of the wafers and the mess of all the sauces but I’ll need to do research to be sure. If I’m really craving sports there’s always the baseball.”

I, on the other hand, will be continuing my weight-loss efforts. And finishing up my giant Olympic viewing guide.

Fox just showed a view from outside the stadium. Please tell me I didn’t see lightning …

Hmmmm … nothing on the radar.

Joe Pearson checks in: “Big sports day today, and man am I tired. Tour this morning, Wimbledon, Scottish Open final, and then the Euros. And now I have to wait for a delayed Copa final. Sigh. To take out the sting, I am listening to a Bette Midler tribute album to Rosemary Clooney. Why? I have no idea!”

If we get delayed again, I might need to take out my bass and start practicing for some upcoming shows.

But Fox seems a little less optimistic than I am. That’s bad – I’m known for my pessimism.

Jenny Taft, who has done some outstanding sideline reporting tonight, says players have been dealing with family members stuck outside. They’re not happy.

Reminder: The next World Cup will be held … here.

Good news from the stadium …

Chris Smith, who’ll be reporting on this game for The Guardian, says the stadium is now about 90% full. “It happened very quickly,” he says.

So the 8:45 kickoff time might be the final word.

Tomorrow, we have no Euro games. No Copa games. Not even a stage in the Tour de France – which may have been effectively settled today, anyway. What are we supposed to do instead? Work?

Feel free to share your ideas.

Legal game?

Robert Speed writes to point us to Law 7.2, “Half-time interval”: “Per that quaint document known as the Laws of the Game, half time may not exceed 15 minutes. So this contest is not a legitimate game under the laws. Which is a shame.”

I’m reminded of the words of Mike from the great Britcom The Young Ones.

MIKE: It’s only just gone one.

HELEN: Is that the time?

MIKE: No, time is an abstract concept. This is a wristwatch.

I’ll be back with the Colombia lineup after the presidential address. If there’s an update on kickoff time, I’ll be back sooner. Players are coming back out to warm up, so that’s a good sign that we might not be any later than 8:30 pm ET (35 minutes from now).

Say this for the Copa in comparison with the Euros. The Copa will have Shakira performing at halftime. Who’d Euro 2024 get?

But even the halftime show isn’t immune to criticism – and it’s coming from Nestor Lorenzo, the coach of Colombia’s team and someone you’d think would be thrilled to have such a star from Colombia appearing during the break.

The problem is that the break will be a bit longer than everyone likes – 25 minutes instead of the usual 15.

As a journalist, I’ll be busy during that time checking facts. Gotta make sure hips don’t lie.

(Sorry, that was terrible. Had to make reference to it at some point.)

We interrupt this with breaking news …

One complaint facing Copa organizers this year has been security. Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa savagely criticized the powers that be after a brawl between his players and Colombian fans, and Canada coach Jesse Marsch said his team was treated like second-class citizens.

Surely, of course, everything will be set straight in time for the final tonight in …

Oh dear …