Colombia 2-2 Argentina
Argentina weren’t able to withstand Colombia’s rally in the second half as they settled for a 2-2 draw in an exciting World Cup 2022 qualifiers match at the Estadio Metropolitano.
La Albiceleste had the ideal start after quick goals from Cristian Romero and Leandro Paredes, but Los Cafeteros showed their resilience with a strong performance in the second half.
Luis Muriel converted a penalty six minutes into the second half while Miguel Borja grabbed a deserved equaliser during added time to salvage a point.
The draw gave Brazil a six-point cushion over Argentina in the CONMEBOL standings while Colombia are level with Uruguay in points and are placed fifth.
It also gave confidence to Los Cafeteros since they now believe that they can go toe-to-toe against the best teams and that would certainly come in handy as we are fast approaching the Copa America.
Meanwhile, La Albiceleste are left searching for answers after a huge letdown yesterday although their World Cup 2022 odds of qualifying for Qatar next year remains intact.
SBOTOP continues its coverage of the qualifiers, which is why this time around, we will recap last night’s package of World Cup 2022 highlights from these two teams.
Highlights of the game
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni made several changes from the group that drew level against Chile and his side got the best possible start.
When Marcos Acuna drew a foul from Gustavo Cuellar, Cristian Romero headed home a spot-kick from Rodrigo De Paul inside the first three minutes.
Five minutes later, La Albiceleste doubled their lead when Leandro Paredes slid the ball past David Ospina after some woeful defending by Los Cafeteros.
Colombia tried to answer back with a couple of corner kicks but to no avail as Emiliano Martinez was there to save the ball.
The Argentinean defence couldn’t contain Juan Cuadrado as the Juventus winger kept creating crossing opportunities for Colombia. However, Los Cafeteros simply failed to convert.
In the 27th minute, Oscar Tabarez’s side almost tripled their lead via a counter led by Lautaro Martinez and Nicolas Gonzalez but David Ospina redeemed himself with a couple of great saves.
Emiliano Martinez got one of the top defencive plays of the evening when he jumped high in the air to prevent a header from Yerry Mina, who was subsequently handed a yellow card in the 35th minute. The Aston Villa keeper was eventually subbed off due to the hard collision.
Just before the halftime break, Lionel Messi tried to score via a free-kick after a foul on Lautaro Martinez but David Ospina blocked his attempt.
Finding themselves down by two goals, Reinaldo Rueda brought in Luis Muriel and Miguel Borja and the duo turned the game around in the second half.
Los Cafeteros finally scored six minutes after the break when Luis Muriel calmly finished a spot-kick after Nicolas Otamendi brought down Mateus Uribe in the penalty area.
Lionel Messi wanted to assert himself with separate chances during the hour mark but his attempts drew great saves from David Ospina.
Just when it looked like Argentina would hold on, Miguel Borja punched in the ball after a Juan Cuadrado cross past Agustin Marchesin’s hands for the equaliser.
Key statistics
Goals were expected given the quality of these two teams and it showed in the match’s statistics.
Colombia and Argentina combined for 27 total shots but La Albiceleste have the slight advantage with eight shots on target.
It was a physical game all throughout as there were many fouls and yellow cards given away. Colombia compiled 27 fouls and five yellows while Argentina had 18 fouls and four yellows.
Cristian Romero’s stock continues to rise after his performance last night. The 23-year-old centre-back already scored his first Argentina goal in just his second international appearance. He has been linked recently in possible transfer talks with Manchester United.
Colombia have been sizzling in front of goal during this international break as five different players have scored in the last two games.
Argentina remain undefeated in their last five games although this was the second straight time where they dropped points after they were held to a stalemate by Chile few days ago.
What’s next?
Los Cafeteros and La Albiceleste are to turn their focus in the upcoming Copa America.
Colombia are slated to host Ecuador for their first match on June 14th while Argentina take on Chile next Monday.
The pressure is on particularly for Lionel Messi to deliver for La Albiceleste as he is still seeking for his first major international trophy.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
