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Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Argentina complete their defense of their Copa title and etch their names in the conversation of best runs in international football.
On a hot and muggy night in Miami, Liverpool players figured prominently in another international final as Luis Díaz of Colombia and Alexis Mac Allister of Argentina lined up opposite each other in the Copa America 2024 Final. There was a lot to fill the backstory for this match-up: Colombia, riding a 22-match unbeaten run and coming off of a chaotic conclusion to their semifinal tilt against Uruguay; Argentina looking to send off legend Ángel Di María on a high while book-ending their World Cup win with a second regional championship, a feat last matched when Spain won the 2008 and 2012 Euros with the 2010 World Cup wedged in-between.
The match played out much like a heavyweight bout, with both sides working openings and trying to counter the other. Colombia played a more open match, looking to impose their offense on Argentina. Argentina, meanwhile, capably soaked up pressure. Over the course of the match, though, it did look like Colombia looked more likely to score; at one point, Colombia out shot Argentina 11-4. Ultimately, though, Argentina’s collection of stars managed to shine as Lautaro Martinez put in a top-tier finish after being played through with less than 10 minutes left to play in the match.
It was a thoroughly entertaining match, one that saw contrasting styles take center stage. There’s also the question of an Argentina squad that’s losing Di María and while no announcement has been made, there can’t be much more left in Lionel Messi’s tank. And while Colombia’s squad isn’t exactly filled with young bucks, there is a decent group of players entering their prime years, including Luis Díaz.
Whatever happens to Argentina moving forward, though, the result necessarily has to move this quad into the conversation of the best international squads to ever grace the world stage. Two Copas and a World Cup in consecutive years is truly an achievement. For his part, Alexis Mac Allister brings home a Copa to go along with that World Cup winner’s medal. Not a bad haul at all.
With this, the Liverpool contingent’s international commitments close. I, for one, am sad to see the summer football go for many reasons, not the least of which because it made filing stories a bit easier. But also because, well, I just love seeing competitive football. Thankfully, we won’t be too far off from more as Liverpool’s first pre-season match is less than two weeks away.
