Despite using just ten men for the second half of their Copa America semifinal encounter on Wednesday, Colombia defeated Uruguay 1-0.
A title matchup against the reigning winners, Argentina, is scheduled for Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, thanks to a header from Jefferson Lerma in the first half.
After Daniel Munoz of Colombia was sent off at the end of the first half, Uruguay dominated possession but was unable to convert their advantage into goals. Darwin Nunez had three excellent chances to score early on, but he missed them all.
In the seventeenth minute, the forward for Liverpool had a fantastic opportunity in the penalty area, but he curled his shot inches wide before it scuffed out. He sat on one more curling strike that missed its mark.
Uruguay were made to pay for those missed chances when Lerma rose above the defence at a corner-kick and squeezed his header past goalkeeper Sergio Rochet.
It helped James Rodriguez claim his sixth assist of the tournament. Colombia were then reduced to 10 men when right-back Munoz received a second yellow card for elbowing Manuel Ugarte in the chest when play was stopped.
With Uruguay dominating possession in the second half, Bielsa threw on Luis Suarez in the 67th minute. The veteran striker nearly scored moments later, with the 37-year-old’s shot hitting the post as he sank to his knees in frustration.
Colombia had a golden opportunity to seal the win in the 88th minute when they won the ball back in Uruguay’s penalty box, but Mateus Uribe sent his low shot wide.
He saw another one deflect off the goalkeeper and cannon off the crossbar in added time. Colombia, who extended their unbeaten run to 28 games, held on for a famous win and will face Argentina in Sunday’s final match. Uruguay will take on Canada a day earlier in the third-place playoff.
