Palace on the grand stage
In a cruel twist of fate, Muñoz – regarded by many as one of the players of the tournament, with two goals and an assist in five games at full-back – will not play in the Final, having been sent off for an off-the-ball incident in the semi-final win over Uruguay.
Palace sole representation in Florida, therefore, will be hero of that win, Jefferson Lerma, whose second goal of the competition so far – a bullet header from a corner – provided Colombia with the platform to secure their place in the Final.
Los Cafeteros are going into the game against Argentina off the back of an incredible 28-match unbeaten run, which includes wins over the likes of Germany, Brazil, and Euro 2024 finalist Spain.
Indeed, the unbeaten sequence stretches back to... a World Cup qualifier against Argentina on 2nd February, 2022. Lerma has since played in 19 of those games.
Can they go one better this time under inspirational coach Néstor Lorenzo – himself a former Argentina international? It all amounts to a mouth-watering prospect for the grand occasion.
