10-men Colombia qualify for Copa America 2024 final after beating Uruguay 1-0

With 11 draws in their previous meeting among both South American powerhouses, Uruguay enjoyed a clear advantage in head-to-head play. James Rodriguez exploded onto the scene, but his career never truly took off. However, the Colombian is having a blast on the main stage once more with Copa America 2024.

Uruguay could have won its 16th Copa America title, setting a record, with two more victories. Colombia is on a roll, having won 28 straight games without a setback. When the two South American titans squared off in the tournament's semifinals tonight at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, something had to give. The winner will play on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Florida, against Argentina, the reigning champions who defeated Canada 2-0 in the other semifinal.

How did the semi-final between Colombia and Uruguay pan out?

Colombia might not have advanced to the Copa America 2024 final if not for Daniel Munoz's insane incident just before halftime. In the 31st minute at Bank of America Stadium, he received his first yellow card. Jefferson Lerma gave Colombia the lead against their counterparts from Uruguay eight minutes later.

However, when Munoz received his second yellow card during first-half stoppage time, everything in Charlotte started to fall apart. He was given a booking for reacting angrily when his opponents were given a free kick. The Uruguay bench stood up in disgust after Munoz shoved Manuel Ugarte in the chest.

After giving him the order to march, chaos broke out while Colombia made their case and reduced their number of soldiers to ten. In the end, Colombia held onto their 1-0 advantage right till the end and are now through to the finals of the Copa America 2024.

During their Copa America 2024 semifinal matchup against Uruguay, James Rodriguez picked up his sixth assist, making history as the player with the most assists throughout a single campaign. When the Argentinean scored five assists during the Albiceleste's 2021 Copa America championship campaign, he surpassed Lionel Messi's record for most assists during a single campaign.

In Colombia's opening Copa America 2024 group game versus Paraguay, Rodriguez recorded two assists. He subsequently scored two more goals in its quarterfinal matchup against Panama and one more versus Costa Rica.