CHARLOTTE, N.C.— Colombia is headed to the Copa America championship game for the first time in 23 years after a contentious win over Uruguay in which it played the second half a man short and players brawled with fans in the stands following the final whistle.
Jefferson Lerma scored in the 39th minute for a 1-0 win Wednesday night and a matchup with Lionel Messi and defending champion Argentina on Sunday.
URUGUAY PLAYERS GO INTO STANDS TO FIGHT COLOMBIAN FANS AFTER LOSING TO COLOMBIA IN #CopaAmerica match at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte #Uruguay #Colombia pic.twitter.com/gWr4cAOvMo
— Bleacher Brothers (@BleacherBrother) July 11, 2024
In a match that included seven yellow cards in addition to the red, players from both teams pushed and shoved in a scrum on the field at the final whistle. Darwin Núñez and about a dozen Uruguay teammates went into the stands as fans brawled.
A video showed Núñez hitting a fan in Colombian team colors.