Colombia tops Argentina 2-1; Brazil falls to Paraguay in qualifiers

BARRANQUILLA, Colombia — In a surprising turn of events during World Cup qualifying matches on Tuesday, two of South America’s soccer giants faced defeats. Argentina fell 2-1 to Colombia, missing their star player, Lionel Messi, while Brazil suffered a 1-0 loss to Paraguay without Neymar.

Colombia’s James Rodríguez played a pivotal role in their victory, scoring a penalty and providing an assist that contributed to the defeat of defending champion Argentina in Barranquilla. Meanwhile, Diego Gómez’s solitary goal clinched an upset victory for Paraguay against Brazil in Asunción.

Both teams struggled in the absence of their key players, with substitutes failing to step up in what proved to be challenging away matches.

Colombia opened the scoring with a close-range header from Yerson Mosquera in the 25th minute. Argentina equalized shortly after halftime in the 48th minute when Nico Gonzalez intercepted a pass from Rodríguez. However, Rodríguez quickly redeemed himself, converting a penalty in the 60th minute after a video review, which secured the win for Colombia at the Metropolitano Stadium.

In the game involving Brazil, Gómez’s goal in the 20th minute proved decisive. The ball deflected off goalkeeper Alisson’s right post, giving Paraguay an early lead. Brazil struggled to create significant scoring opportunities, leading to the first loss for their coach Dorival Júnior since he took over in January.

Other matches on the same day saw Bolivia creating an upset by beating Chile 2-1 in Santiago, Ecuador securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Peru, and Venezuela managing to draw 0-0 with Uruguay.

Following these matches, Argentina leads the qualifying standings with 18 points from eight matches, maintaining a two-point lead over Colombia. Uruguay holds the third position with 15 points, while Ecuador trails closely with 14 points. Brazil sits in fifth place with only 10 points.

Each team has two more qualifying matches scheduled for next month, and the top six teams will earn automatic berths in the 2026 World Cup.

Colombia’s 2-1 victory over Argentina marked a significant achievement, especially considering Argentina won the Copa America in July after defeating Colombia. Rodríguez reflected on this historic win, stating, “It is a great win against an Argentina team that has won it all. The weather was tough, it was so hot, but we had an excellent match. It is a fair win.”

Rodríguez’s assist for Mosquera helped him tie Carlos Valderrama’s record of 11 assists in South American World Cup qualifying. Later, when he dispatched the penalty past goalkeeper Dibu Martínez, he matched Falcao García’s 13 goals in World Cup qualifying.

Argentina’s strikers Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez struggled to create goal-scoring opportunities in the absence of their veteran leader, Messi. Coach Lionel Scaloni acknowledged that the heat played a role in the match’s outcome, noting, “The heat is the same for both, but it is evident that there were not good conditions for us to see a spectacle.”

Brazil’s coach, typically reserved in his comments, boldly declared his team’s ambitions for the upcoming World Cup finals prior to the match. However, the surprising defeat raised doubts about his lofty predictions. Trying to reinvigorate the squad against a tactically disciplined Paraguay, the coach’s decision to deploy three Real Madrid attackers—Vinicius Júnior, Endrick, and Rodrygo—did not pay off.

Midfielder Lucas Moura remarked that the game shifted against Brazil the moment Paraguay scored, stating, “They already came to defend, even more so after they scored.” Defender Marquinhos echoed his concerns, admitting the team lacks the usual confidence seen in past performances. “We are trying to find the best way to play. There are many pieces being changed,” he said.

In conclusion, the results from these qualifiers have intensified the competition in South American soccer, further highlighting the unpredictability in the run-up to the World Cup.

Source: AP