Argentina Beats Colombia After An Intense Quarter-Final Match
What was perhaps the most intense match of Copa America so far, ended with Colombia packing for home — but not before putting up a great fight.
Highlights Of The Match
The match decided who would go on to the semi-finals of the Copa America tournament in Chile. The game began with Argentina taking maximum control throughout the majority of the game. Colombia played more on the defense than offense.
However, the real star of the entire Argentina versus Colombia match was Colombia’s goalkeeper, David Ospina. Ospina denied numerous goals from Argentina. Both Jackson Martinez and James Rodriguez played rough during the second half of the game, meanwhile, Messi was the best player from Argentina’s team.
Just as the match was going to end, Colombia brought in their most notorious striker, Radamel Falcao, and replaced Jackson. Despite this, the game ended with zero goals for both Colombia and Argentina.
The game resulted in penalties where it was anyone’s game.
The penalties kicked off with Colombia being the first to strike. James Rodriguez was the first striker, followed by Radamel Falcao. Lionel Messi was among the first to strike for Argentina, however, both teams were tied during the first few strikes. It wasn’t until Colombia messed up its first strike, where the game got intense.
Ironically, Argentina was denied a goal right after Colombia was denied. The game continued on its course of intensity as both Argentina and Colombia missed several opportunities — back to back — to take home the cake.
The game finally ended with Colombia’s Murillo missing the last opportunity the team had to win against Argentina. Carlos Tevez from Argentina made the final goal of the match that places Argentina into the semi-finals, as the Guardian reported.
Colombia’s Goalkeeper, David Ospina, Shines
Being dubbed as the man who kept Colombia from being eliminated throughout the whole match, is getting major online support. Colombia’s fantastic goalkeeper, David Ospina, kept Messi in check for the full 90 minutes — plus extra time — leaving Argentina fans in a disarray of nerves.
In case you’ve missed Ospina’s phenomenal save from Messi — here you go:
The look on Messi’s face says it all.
Argentina Advances To The Semi-Finals
After a game of luck, Argentina defeated Colombia and is heading to the semi-finals. The next match will be Brazil versus Paraguay — and whoever loses — will face Argentina.
News outlets are already laying out their predictions for the Brazil versus Paraguay match, including Yahoo! Sports.
[Photo via Copa America/Getty Images]
