Colombia will have this Tuesday against Venezuela its last opportunity to enter the playoff for the Qatar-2022 World Cup, risking everything in a reunion with his former coach José Pékerman, builder of the World Cup coffee team in Brazil-2014 and Russia-2018 and, now, the rival’s coach.
The Colombians need to win in their visit to Pékerman’s Venezuela for the last day of the South American qualifying round and at the same time cross their fingers for a defeat or draw for Peru against Paraguay, in Lima; or, in another scenario, draw and hope that the Peruvians lose against the Paraguayans and Chile does not beat Uruguay, in Santiago.
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It is not the first time it happens. Colombia does not depend on itself and it is valid to remember the times that the same thing has happened in the previous World Cup qualifiers.
How has Colombia fared when it depends on others?
In the tie for Germany-1974, the National Team did not play on the last date of the group that played against Uruguay and Ecuador. To qualify, it depended on Ecuador not losing to Uruguay in the final game, which won 4-0 and qualified. Colombia was eliminated.
The drought of World Cup participations of the 38-year-old Colombian National Team, since Chile-1962 (which until then was his only qualification for the World Cup), ended with qualification for Italy-1990.
The only time that the accounts came out for the National Team
In a situation very similar to that of 1974, Colombia played a group against Paraguay and Ecuador, rivals who faced each other on the last date. The winner of that zone would later play a playoff against Israel.
Colombia needed Ecuador to defeat Paraguay at home to qualify for that playoff. And Ecuador won 3-1, so Colombia could face Israel in a round-trip series. They won in Barranquilla (1-0) and tied as a visitor to qualify.
Eliminated by pacts between Argentina and Uruguay
Then, in the qualifiers for the World Cup in Japan and South Korea-2002, on the last date of that qualifier, already under the current system of all against all in the South American eliminatory, it depended on beating Paraguay, in Asunción, and Uruguay losing, in Montevideo, against Argentina. Colombia thrashed Paraguay 4-0, but Uruguayans and Argentines tied 1-1.
And for the World Cup in Germany-2006 something similar happened. That time it was necessary to win in Paraguay and for Uruguay to fall to Argentina, but they tied, while Colombia won 1-0. Thus, Colombia was eliminated from those two World Cup events.
In summary, Colombia has only managed to emerge victorious in one of the four times in which it has reached the last knockout date with a chance of qualifying, but depending on the results of third parties.
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