Ten-man Colombia held agency as they edged previous Uruguay 1-0 to ebook their place within the Copa America ultimate.
The in-form crew appeared as much as their typical tips as Jefferson Lerma scored the winner within the first half, however they needed to work exhausting to maintain their spectacular unbeaten streak alive.
Daniel Munoz’s sending off on the stroke of half-time put Colombia below stress, however they thrived below it, nullifying Uruguay’s late makes an attempt to salvage a end in North Carolina.
Chasing simply their second-ever Copa America title, Los Cafeteros will play defending champions Argentina within the ultimate on Sunday.
The match’s highest scorers began brightly, with Munoz thumping a robust header simply vast of Sergio Rochet’s put up for Colombia.
Nonetheless, the tide quickly turned, and Darwin Nunez arguably ought to have had a first-half hat-trick as he missed a flurry of golden possibilities.
Twice he fired vast of Camilo Vargas’ proper put up, sending the goalkeeper scrambling with the primary because it flew inches vast, earlier than lifting a 3rd simply over the crossbar from the sting of the field.
Colombia quickly confirmed their menace from set-pieces although, with Lerma rising excessive to nod in a nook from James Rodriguez, who acquired his record-breaking sixth help of the match.
Munoz obtained his marching orders shortly after, having obtained a primary reserving for a sliding sort out on Maximiliano Araujo, he then foolishly elbowed Manuel Ugarte within the chest, leaving the referee no alternative however to ship him off.
Luis Suarez was given 25 minutes to make an affect within the second half and was inches away from doing so – unmarked on the sting of the field, he rattled the put up after placing his laces by means of a robust shot.
Moments later, Federico Valverde sneakily tried to beat Vargas with a low strike into the bottom-left nook, however might solely drill it vast of the goal.
Kevin Castano had two wonderful possibilities to safe the victory for Colombia within the dying minutes; he fired vast with the primary, however was unfortunate with the second as an enormous save by Rochet despatched his effort onto the crossbar.
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