It ended in a draw: the score was 1-1 in the Colombia vs. Argentina match.

Colombia had a great opportunity to put one foot in the 2026 World Cup, but had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Argentina , in an entertaining and hard-fought match for the sixteenth round of the South American qualifiers played this Tuesday in Buenos Aires.

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English: Luis Díaz (24) was the figure of the match and put the Colombian team ahead, but Thiago Almada, ten minutes from the end, gave the Albiceleste the tie, who played for a while with ten players due to the expulsion of midfielder Enzo Fernández (70). Argentina, already qualified and with the first place secured, has 35 points, while Colombia missed the opportunity to get within reach of the World Cup and remains in sixth place in the table with 22 points, four above Venezuela (18), who is in the play-off zone, two days from the end.

Liverpool's 'Lucho'

Colombia, one of the teams that had defeated the Albiceleste on the World Cup route along with Uruguay and Paraguay, surprised with several changes made by Néstor Lorenzo, who included Machado and Campaz on the left wing and Luis Díaz as the sole striker. The match had barely begun when Argentina had the first chance with a right-footed cross from Messi that went wide, but the visitors quickly responded with a good cross from Machado that forced Otamendi to close down just as Díaz was arriving alone.

The Liverpool player, very mobile across the attack, managed to take advantage of the wide spaces left behind by the world champion, and so he tried again with a low right-footed shot that easily deflected "Dibu" Martínez.

On the Argentine side, with Messi boxed in by a tight defense, the best chances were coming through the feet of Julián Álvarez, who had the best chance for the home side with a powerful left-footed shot that required a great save from Mier. But the Colombian response was more accurate , and after a tackle from Castaño in the middle, the ball quickly came out for Díaz to break away, who advanced diagonally from the right to the center in a remarkable individual move to evade three defenders and beat Martínez with a corner shot.

Thus, Colombia celebrated its first goal at the Monumental since that memorable 5-0 in September 1993 , and justified the advantage with a sharp game, quick to recover and attack a sky-blue and white team that took a while to recover, confused after being at a disadvantage.

Almada, the savior

Coach Scaloni intervened in the locker room and brought on Simeone and Nico González to gain more presence on the right flank, and Argentina began to have more possession against a visiting team that began to retreat back into its own half.

Colombia came close to extending the lead with a Richard Ríos right-footed shot from the edge of the box that Martínez deflected in from the corner, but Argentina began to close in when Messi and Almada took center stage in the attack, and Nico González found space to advance down the flanks. Messi set up González, but Mier blocked his shot , and Enzo Fernández fired a shot high in front of the goal. The number 10 then challenged the goalkeeper with a free kick, and this time it was González who took the ball and smashed it against the left post.

Things looked set to get complicated for the world champions with a straight red card for Enzo Fernández, sent off for a high tackle on Castaño, and Scaloni surprisingly brought Messi on. But, even with a man down, the Albiceleste cornered a Colombia that had been holding back more than advisable, and the tie was reached with ten minutes left, with a quick play down the right when Palacios passed to Almada, who made his way from the left towards the center, and unleashed a low, cross-footed shot that went well past Mier's hand.

Colombia had an incredible chance near the end with a header from Ríos off the left post after a superb cross from Lucho Díaz, the best player of the night, but in the end, the Colombian team had to settle for a draw that kept them in the middle of the table, after failing to capitalize on their chances in a match that looked like a derby. In the next match, to be played in September, Argentina will host Venezuela, and Colombia will host Bolivia.

Lineups

Argentina: Emiliano Martínez - Nahuel Molina (Giuliano Simeone, 46), Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Facundo Medina (Juan Foyth, 77) - Rodrigo De Paul (Nicolás González, 46), Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernández - Lionel Messi (Exequiel Palacios, 77), Julián Álvarez and Thiago Almada (Leonardo Balerdi, 90). DT: Lionel Scaloni.

Colombia: Kevin Mier - Daniel Munoz, Jhon Lucumi, Davinson Sanchez, Deiver Machado - Kevin Castano (Jhon Arias, 73) and Jefferson Lerma - Richard Rios, James Rodriguez (Rafael Carrascal, 73), Jaminton Campaz (Andres Roman, 57) - Luis Diaz. Coach: Nestor Lorenzo. Referee: Juan Gabriel Benitez (PAR).

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AFP