CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jefferson Lerma headed in a goal off a corner kick to send Colombia to the Copa América final against Argentina with a thrilling win over Uruguay.
Lerma's score was the only goal in Colombia's 1-0 semifinal win over Uruguay. Colombia played the entire second half one man down after Daniel Muñoz was sent off with a red card for an aggressive shove in the first half.
Colombia heads to the Copa América final for just the third time in the tournament's history. The nation's last title in the tournament came in 2001, which was the last time Colombia reached the finals.
The match's only score resulted from a James Rodríguez corner kick that found just enough room to reach Lerma at the edge of the goal area. Lerma headed his shot in unison with a deflection attempt from a Uruguayan defender and landed the ball inside the bottom left edge of the net.
Uruguay managed just two shots on goal in the match, both of which came in the second half. Uruguay's Luis Suárez hit the right post in the 71st minute and Manuel Ugarte had a shot blocked in the 85th minute.
Colombia heads to the final without conceding a goal in the knockout stage after beating Panama 5-0 in the quarterfinal. Uruguay knocked off Brazil with penalty kicks in the quarterfinal.
Even with Colombia being over 2,000 miles away from Charlotte, fans turned out in droves to support their national team.
"[Soccer] runs through our veins," Jeffrey Lopez said after traveling from Orlando to Charlotte to support Colombia. "It's literally in our culture."
Uruguayan fans were also out in support of their team during the match as a packed Bank of America Stadium witnessed an intense competition between the two sides.
"It's growing here in the United States," Lopez said. "We want it to continue to grow and then get other states here. More opportunities, more teams."
Tempers flared on and off the pitch during the match. Fans were seen fighting Uruguayan players at Bank of America Stadium after the match.
Colombia will face Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, in Miami on Sunday. Charlotte will host the third-place match between Uruguay and Canada on Saturday.