Uruguay's Darwin Nunez missed several chances in the first half and Colombia made them pay when Lerma rose above the defence on a corner in the 39th minute and squeezed his header past goalkeeper Sergio Rochet.

Lionel Messi said he was enjoying his "last battles" with Argentina after the 37-year-old found the net in a 2-0 win over Canada on Tuesday to book a place in the Copa America final.

Drake posted an image on Instagram that showed his bet would have given him a $2.88 million payout if Canada won, but goals from Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi moved Argentina into a fourth final in five editions.

Messi's 109th goal for Argentina also saw him surpass Iran's Ali Daei to take sole possession of second place on the all-time international scoring charts. Messi trails only Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 130 goals for Portugal.

Colombia enter the semi-final having avoided defeat in 27 consecutive games, matching their all-time unbeaten streak.

Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi scored the goals as Argentina advanced to Sunday's final in Miami where they will face either Colombia or Uruguay.

The 23-year-old Real Madrid winger was suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards and watched from the stands as Brazil lost to record 15-times winners Uruguay 4-2 in a penalty shootout following a goalless draw on Saturday.

The Euros and Copa America football tournaments have reached the last stages and we eagerly await the outcome of the finals. Can Argentina win for the 16th time? Or, will Colombia bask in the glory of beating the world champions?

"My mind is wrapped totally around giving our team a chance to not just have a special experience, but a real special victory," Marsch told a press conference.

The defending champions' 4-2 win on penalties was the most-watched Copa America quarter-final not featuring the United States in the history of the tournament on U.S. English-language TV.

Messi returned to action on Thursday in Argentina's quarter-final win against Ecuador after missing the final group-stage match due to injury. He played the entire game, but looked physically hampered.

Uruguay's diligence and resilience under pressure after going a man down against Brazil in Saturday's Copa America quarterfinal victory put the team's distinctive character in the spotlight, coach Marcelo Bielsa said.

The 32-year-old has impressed in the run by 2001 champions Colombia to the semi-finals, with his outstanding vision and defence-splitting passes leading to him notching five assists - tied with Lionel Messi (2021) for most assists in a single edition of the tournament.

Brazil had failed to impress at the tournament, drawing twice in the group stage while beating only Paraguay before their second straight quarter-final exit from a major tournament following the 2022 World Cup.

"To finish with penalties and winning, I was able to save one... The truth is that it is a tremendous happiness that this group deserves, the country deserves it. We are very excited, so we are going for more," said Uruguay goalkeeper Sergio Rochet.

Uruguay, who finished the game with ten men after Nahitan Nandez was sent off in the 74th minute, will face Colombia in Charlotte, North Carolina, in their semi-final on Wednesday.

James Rodriguez delivered another top class performance for Colombia, creating two goals and scoring a penalty as Panama were put to the sword.

"We're going to face the best team in the world in the semi-finals. We're excited about it," Marsch said after Friday's win.

Uruguay, who won all three of their group matches and scored eight goals to finish top of Group C, will be hoping to progress to the semi-finals and the coach will be looking to implement his high-pressing attacking style against the Brazilians.

“One more step... We suffered a lot against a tough opponent. We passed to the semis thanks to the work of everyone and on top of that we have the best goalkeeper in the world @emi_martinez26. Go Argentina!” Messi wrote on Instagram.