The good, the bad, and the ugly: Storylines of the Copa America

A phenomenal Copa America that featured no shortage of subplots is over.

Chile captured its first-ever title, Argentina's trophy drought continued, Peru overachieved, Brazil underachieved, three penalty shootouts took place, a total of 58 goals were scored, Eduardo Vargas and Paolo Guerrero finished as the joint-top scorers, Luis Suarez was absent, Arturo Vidal drove under the influence, Neymar was banned for an attempted headbutt, Gonzalo Jara gave Edinson Cavani an unscheduled colonoscopy, and so much more.

The Copa America always delivers when it comes to entertainment, largely because of the colourful characters that South American football produces and the quality of play on the pitch.

So, without further ado, here are the stories from what was an unforgettable Copa America:

The Good

All the conditions were right for Chile to claim its first-ever Copa America title: playing on home soil, a wealth of talent, and a phenomenal manager in Jorge Sampaoli.

By defeating eternal rival Argentina on penalty kicks, Chile wrote its place in history, accomplishing what so many of La Roja's past generations had failed to do. The win injected a much-needed euphoria into the streets of Chile, as the country deals with a number of political, financial, and social issues.

Appropriately, it was Alexis Sanchez who converted the title-clinching penalty.

The Bad

A moment of madness denied the knockout stage of the planet's greatest sub-genius.

Neymar was assigned with a four-match ban that ruled him out of the remainder of the Copa America for attempting to headbutt Jeison Murillo following the final whistle of Brazil's 1-0 defeat to Colombia in the group stage.

Conflicting reports emerged in the aftermath of the incident, including one story from Spanish daily AS claiming Neymar grabbed referee Enrique Osses by the neck in the tunnel after exiting the pitch. The Brazilian phenom, who left the squad after Brazil dropped its appeal of the ban, proclaimed his innocence, saying, "Nothing happened in the tunnel."

The Ugly

In what can only be described as something most supporters have never seen and will never see again, Cavani - whose father had been arrested ahead of the quarterfinals after being involved in a fatal car crash - received a second yellow card for tapping Jara on the chin, resulting in the Chilean centre-back theatrically flopping to the ground.

Television replays revealed Jara had - for lack of better terminology - stuck a finger in Cavani's butt.

Although the incident helped Chile defeat 10-man Uruguay and advance to the semifinals, Jara received an initial three-match ban - later reduced to a two-match ban - and may be forced to find a new club.

FSV Mainz 05 sports director responded angrily to the incident, saying, "He knows that if an offer comes he can go. We do not tolerate that. More than the prod, however, it is what comes afterwards that makes me angry. I hate theatrics more than anything."

The Embarrasing

Duwayne Kerr left his mark at the Copa America, albeit a mark he probably wishes he could erase.

The lone goal in Jamaica's 1-0 defeat to Paraguay saw the Jamaican 'keeper bewilderingly decide to exit his side's penalty area and clear the ball using his head. Unfortunately for Kerr, his clearance bounced directly off Edgar Benitez and rolled into the back of the net in comical fashion.

What was he thinking?

The Foolish

A division was formed in Chile when it was announced Arturo Vidal's adventure at the Copa America would continue despite crashing his Ferrari on the outskirts of Santiago and subsequently being charged with driving under the influence.

There were those who remained loyal to Vidal and supported his continuation at the competition, and those who believed Sampaoli should have sent a message by kicking the 28-year-old midfielder off the team.

Luckily for Vidal, his saving grace was Chile winning the Copa America.

The Protective

For 90 minutes, David Ospina put Colombia on his back and assembled what can only be described as one the greatest performances between the posts ever seen in international football.

Colombia's quarterfinal loss to Argentina saw Ospina produce the defining display of his career, as he kept La Albiceleste off the scoreboard with myriad jaw-dropping saves.

Most notably, he manufactured a surreal double save in the first half - using his left foot to block a shot from Sergio Aguero before somehow getting up in time to deflect a point-blank header from Lionel Messi over the crossbar.

The Controversial

There's really no way of knowing how the semifinal between Chile and Peru would have ended had Carlos Zambrano not received a divisive red card only 20 minutes into the contest.

A staple of Peru's backline, Zambrano was shown a straight red card for kicking Charles Aranguiz in the back, leaving La Blanquirroja shorthanded for the remainder of the match and paving the way for Chile to capture a 2-1 win.

Did he leave his studs up intentionally or did he not have enough time to get his right leg out of the way?

The Unequal

In what was the highest-scoring affair at the Copa America, Argentina, fueled by its attacking quartet of Messi, Javier Pastore, Sergio Aguero, and Angel Di Maria, thrashed Paraguay 6-1 in the semifinals.

It was a prime example of what Argentina looks like when all of its attacking players are clicking and was one of the most ruthless performances in recent memory.

Messi, in particular, stood out despite not scoring a single goal, as he finished the match with three assists, five key passes, a passing accuracy of 90 percent, and a match-best 79 touches.