In a Copa America championship defence in Florida, Argentina defeated Colombia 1-0 in overtime thanks to Julian Alvarez’s 97 minutes of play.

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The international career to date of Julian Alvarez

At Hard Rock Stadium, a late finish by substitute Lautaro Martinez in the 112th minute was needed to complete a contest that had been delayed for over 75 minutes because of issues with supporters using the turnstiles to enter.

Lionel Scaloni’s team became the first to win consecutive Copa America titles after winning the World Cup in between the two editions, and Alvarez’s energy in the intense heat proved crucial.

With his remarkable sprint speed and ability to consume leftovers, our striker undoubtedly exhausted the Colombian defence, which subsequently benefited Martinez.

Argentina has surpassed Uruguay as the most successful team in Copa America history, having won 16 championships altogether.

In the competition, the 24-year-old made his fifth start in six games when Scaloni selected the same lineup that defeated Canada in the semifinals.

Within a minute, our guy had the first opening of the evening, but Gonzalo Montiel’s well-placed pass prevented him from diverting his maiden attempt on goal.

Five minutes later, Colombia brightly came back and had a chance of their own, but Jhon Cordoba’s shot missed the post on its way to being wide.

There was jousting for a while until Lionel Messi’s wonderful pirouette in the 20th minute created space in midfield so he could feed Nicolas Tagliafico.

Stepping on the ball, the left-back found his nation’s talisman in the middle, who curled towards goal but was struck by Alvarez, whose attempt at evasion proved futile.

Messi was able to move freely into the space between the lines because Alvarez was occupying the central defenders.

Alvarez’s touches of the ball were limited while filling that role, but his team’s advantage came from his selflessness up until this point in a match against the best performers in the league.

If the humid weather caused the game to slow down towards the conclusion of the first quarter, the extended halftime break and Colombian superstar Shakira’s performance rejuvenated both teams.

Alvarez and Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool connected beautifully for a one-two that nearly resulted in a spectacular opportunity for the reigning champions.

Davinson Sanchez, a defender for Colombia, sprang highest in the box, but he was only able to head over.

Just after the hour, Messi was pursuing an opponent when he stumbled to the ground and appeared to injure his leg. This was a potentially crucial moment.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, 37, then broke down in tears when he was placed on the bench like the other substitutes.

Nico Gonzalez, Messi’s replacement, thought he had broken the deadlock shortly after coming on, only to see the offside flag raised for an earlier run in the move.

With extra time growing ever more likely, Gonzalez leapt high to head just inches out of reach of Alvarez.

That agonising opportunity was the final one of the 90 minutes and the game went to a further half an hour.

After putting in an incredible shift in testing temperatures, Alvarez was replaced by Lautaro Martinez in the 97th minute.

The game grew increasingly stretched after Alvarez’s substitution until Martinez eventually found the winner in the 112th minute.

After victories over Canada, Chile, Peru and Ecuador on the road to the final, this win ensured another historic achievement for Alvarez and his compatriots.

Alvarez’s international summer will now continue when he represents his country at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, starting later this month.

Congratulations to Julian on this latest achievement!

Argentina XI: E. Martinez, Montiel (Molina 72), Romero, Li. Martinez, Tagliafico, De Paul, Mac Allister (Lo Celso 97), Fernandez (Paredes 97), Di Maria, Messi (Gonzalez 66), Alvarez (La. Martinez 97)

Colombia XI: Vargas, S. Arias, Cuesta, Sanchez, Mojica, Lerma (Uribe 106), Rios (Castano 88), J. Arias (Carrascal 106), Rodriguez (Quintero 91), Diaz (Borja 106), Cordoba (Santos Borre 88)