Daniel Munoz of Colombia was sent off at the conclusion of the first half, and even though Uruguay had the better of the possession, Darwin Nunez missed three clear chances to score early on, meaning Uruguay could not capitalize on their man-advantage.
In the seventeenth minute, the Liverpool forward had a golden opportunity in the box, but he curled his effort inches wide. He then missed with a scuffed shot and another curling attempt, leaving him sitting on his haunches and scratching his head.
When Lerma rose above the defense at a corner and squeaked his header past goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, James Rodriguez collected his sixth assist of the tournament, making Uruguay pay for those wasted opportunities.
After play was paused, right back Munoz received a second yellow card for elbowing Manuel Ugarte in the chest, bringing Colombia down to 10 men.
Luis Suarez, a seasoned striker, was brought in by Bielsa in the 67th minute as Uruguay dominated possession in the second half. The veteran striker’s shot struck the post, and Suarez fell to his knees in frustration.
When Colombia gained the ball back in Uruguay’s box in the 88th minute, Mateus Uribe had a great chance to seal the victory, but he missed with a low shot.
In added time, he watched another one crash off the crossbar and rebound off the keeper.
Colombia managed to hold on for a historic victory, extending their winning streak to 28 games. They will now play Argentina in the Sunday final.
In the third-place playoff match, Uruguay will take against Canada one day early.
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