Argentina have progressed to the semi-final stage of this year's Copa America in Chile after a penalty shoot-out victory over Colombia following a heated goalless draw in Viña del Mar.
It was Argentina who dominated the match largely from first whistle to last, with Nicolas Otamendi, Lionel Messi and Angel di Maria all denied by the excellent David Ospina.
And, though Colombia did grow into the game in the final 20 minutes, they did not create a clear goalscoring opportunity, while Argentina saw two almost certain goals hacked off the goalline in the final ten minutes of the game.
But the match somehow finished goalless after four minutes of stoppage time, and it was left to the first penalty shoot-out of the tournament to decide the result of the third quarter-final.
And after a nervous shoot-out in which neither side seemed to want to put the ball in the net, it was up to late substitute Carlos Tevez to seal a deserved, if not totally convincing win as Argentina roll on to the semi-finals to face either Brazil or Paraguay.
Argentina made two changes to the side which narrowly beat Jamaica in the final game of the group stage, with Otamendi and Sergio Aguero returning in place of Martin Demichelis and Gonzalo Higuain.
Colombia, meanwhile, made four changes after a goalless draw with Peru in their last game. Juan Camilo Zuniga, Alexander Mejia, Victor Ibarbo and Jackson Martinez came in, with Pablo Armero, Edwin Valencia, Carlos Sanchez and most notably captain Radamel Falcao dropping out.
A tense opening
The attacking intent was clear from both sides in the opening few minutes of the game, though there was also the impression that both sides were somewhat lacking in confidence in the final third after disappointing performances in the group stage. Both sides attempted to come forward, but with little conviction or creativity in a tense opening to the match.
The first chance of the game came with five minutes played, di Mariaing down the left and drilling a powerful low cross to the edge of the six-yard box. Javier Pastore met the ball with his run but saw his flicked finish tipped wide, before di Maria saw his corner headed well over the bar by Manchester United teammate Marcos Rojo.
Five minutes later, Messi had his first chance to run at the Colombian defence. With yards of space in the centre of the pitch Messi drove through the defence and played di Maria in down the left. His former El Clasico rival tried to return the favour with a cross once again to the edge of the area, but Cristian Zapata got in front to hack the ball clear.
The first booking of the game came in somewhat bizarre fashion as James Rodriguez, almost a year to the day since his Puskas Award-winning strike against Uruguay at last year's World Cup, was shown a yellow card for berating the Mexican referee after what he deemed to be an incorrect throw-in decision.
Argentine penalty shouts waved away
Argentina's dominance was starting to grow ominous for Colombia as the match reached the quarter-hour point, though Otamendi saw an optimistic penalty shout correctly turned away as he went to ground under little pressure inside the area.
Five minutes later, more penalty claims were turned away and another yellow card was shown for dissent. Again it was Argentina who applied the pressure as a corner found its way through a throng of bodies towards Messi. His touch was not decisive and Aguero attempted to stab the ball towards the bottom corner but flicked his shot wide under pressure and after both attackers went to ground, Aguero was booked for his protestations, screaming in the face of the unmoved referee.
Mejia entered the referee's notebook shortly after for a reckless challenge on Messi - it was far from the first, and would not be the last - while di Maria was later felled by the outstretched arm of Zuniga as temperes began to flare in the Chilean heat.
After just 25 minutes, Colombia forward Teo Gutierrez was withdrawn from the fray as Jose Pekerman sacrificed an attacking player to attempt to stem the flow of Argentinian assaults, fiesty midfielder Edwin Cardona his replacement.
Ospina keeps the scores level
His work almost came to nothing almost a minute later as Arsenal keeper Ospina pulled out an incredible double save. First Aguero was denied as he flicked a shot goalbound from a Pastore cross before Messi's point-blank rebound header was somehow pushed away from goal, Ospina springing to life having seemingly been stranded on the ground as the Barcelona man closed on the loose ball.
Whenever Colombia managed to string an attack together, the few attacking players were clamped down on immediately and the ball carried away. Shorn of his attacking partner, Martinez seemed increasingly isolated as a lone forward with little support, and even when Argentina gave the ball away 30 yards from their own goal their seemed little palpable threat.
Another Argentinian attack down the left came through Messi, Pastore and di Maria and almost resulted in an own goal as Zapata stretched to poke the ball away from the lurking Aguero, but his clearance was gratefully held by the visibly relieved Ospina. Moments later, Lucas Biglia found himself in unfamiliar territory up the pitch and miscued a first-time shot wide from the edge of the area.
More struggles in front of goal for Argentina
With the number of yellow cards of a bad-tempered 45 minutes outnumbering shots on goal as the half-time whistle sounded, it was a familiar story for Argentina - almost total domination, the majority of the ball and all of the chances, but no goal to show for it.
Colombia made their opponents wait as they came out late for the second half, but the game soon started to follow a familiar pattern as Argentina attacked straight away. Within two minutes, di Maria whipped a dangerous ball in from a free kick on the right which was almost turned towards goal by Messi, but the panicked defence managed to clear.
Ospina was soon called upon to come out and clear as Messi lifted a ball over the top towards di Maria but, while he made the clearance, he clattered the onrushing United man to the floor. Di Maria was left needing a moment of treatment on the ground while Ospina was also in some discomfort holding his ribs, but both men managed to carry on after a short stoppage.
Rojo was the next to be left prone on the turf after he and the already-booked Juan Cuadrado collided in hurling themselves towards an errant long ball, but calls for a second yellow for the Chelsea man fell on deaf ears. Some of Tata Martino's backroom staff, however, did see red as they were sent from the touchline in the midst of a furious row with the Colombian bench.
More yellow cards could - and should - have been shown
Manchester City favourite Pablo Zabaleta was perhaps lucky to escape the ire of the referee as he placed his hand around the throat of Arias after what he saw as an overly-physical foul, but with 20 minutes of the second period played there was still somehow no addition to the six yellow cards of the first half.
Soon after, Colombia managed their first shot on target of the game as Cuadrado broke down the right and pulled the ball back for Rodriguez. His pass to Victor Ibarbo on the opposite side came to nothing as the Roma man's shot deflected into the side netting, and Martinez' bullet header from the resulting corner was straight down the throat of keeper Sergio Romero.
Messi looked to have found a way through after Mascherano was adjudged not to have fouled Cuadrado on the halfway line and played his Barca teammate through, but he was caught by the retreating defender and ended up committing a foul as he stretched for the ball.
New Boca Juniors signing Tevez and Colombia captain Falcao were introduced to the action for the largely anonymous Aguero and Martinez, with both managers going for the jugular with a quarter of an hour to play.
Moments later, fellow substitute Ever Banega struck the corner of the upright from range as Cuadrado seemed to commit yet another booking-worthy foul on the frustrated Messi in the build-up.
Twice Argentina thought they had snatched the win
Colombia continued to ride their luck and their hopes in the tournament seemed to be on a knife-edge as Otamendi's volley from a corner was incredibly saved onto the base of the right post by Ospina and hacked away by Zuniga as it bounced towards the other.
The match opened up in the final ten minutes as both sides seemed to shy away from the prospect of penalties, with Rodriguez and Messi each seeing dangerous deliveries go unrewarded.
With two minutes to play Argentina thought they had a winner once again as Tevezed through to latch onto the pass of Messi. Zapata unwittingly tapped the ball over the onrushing Ospina towards goal, but Jeison Murillo slid the ball away from the goalline away from the onrushing substitute Ezequiel Lavezzi.
Four minutes of stoppage time heralded no goals despite considerable effort from Argentina, and the match went to the first penalty shoot-out of the tournament.
Penalty heartbreak for Colombia
Rodriguez stepped up for Colombia to take the first penalty and dispatched it into the bottom-left corner, stopping to acknowledge his opposing goalkeeper with a handshake and pat on the back.
Next came Messi, who went the same way but lifted his shot into the top left, again sending the keeper the wrong way.
Falcao found the same corner as he stepped up next to take close to the perfect penalty, though Romero almost got a fingertip to it - it was the Monaco man's second shot on target of the entire tournament.
Defender Ezequiel Garay slammed his effort into the same top-left corner, having had close to nothing to do for the entire night.
There was a clear pattern emerging; next came Cuadrado and again the ball nestled high in the top left, with not a chance for the keeper.
Substitute Banega was the first to switch, instead burying his spot-kick perfectly into the bottom right with Ospina going the right way but unable to keep the ball out at full stretch.
Colombia blinked first. Another late substitute, 24-year-old forward Luis Muriel took an horrendous penalty, shearing his effort well, well over the crossbar and into the fans behind the goal.
Lavezzi went to the left again and found the net in off the base of the post, with Ospina again helpless after going the right way.
Romero dived over the next penalty from first-half substitute Cardona, and probably should have got a hand to it - as it was, Biglia needed to score to put the game to bed.
He didn't. The midfielder stepped up and took aim for the bottom-right corner but placed his shot wide, taking the shoot-out to sudden death.
Zuniga went first and went left, but Romero continued the Colombian emotional rollercoaster with a strong double-handed save at a comfortable height.
Again Argentina had the opportunity to win, and again it went begging. This time it was Rojo who stepped up and went for the typically powerful defender's effort, but he slammed the ball off the top of the crossbar and over.
Colombia's only goalscorer at this point, defender Murillo, came next and again it was a horrible penalty. He leant back as he stepped up and as he aimed his right-footed effort towards the top left, he blazed high over the crossbar.
Finally, the winner came as a forward stepped up to send Argentina through. Tevez went left again and though Ospina went the right way, it was an excellent penalty and one deserving of the win. Argentina merited their victory, and Colombia crashed out at the quarter-final stage once again.