Nobody wins the day before. And every day you have to prove yourself. This is the lesson Colombia has learned from its time in Lima. The only undefeated team sweated blood to tie Peru, which has 3 points out of 21. The team that always hopes for a renewal that never comes, because it doesn’t shine as players, tied it well and made it look bad.
According to the criteria of
It was not the Colombia of the first half of the qualifiers nor the beautiful one of the Copa America. They are all good, but James (who could barely walk) had to come on to lift two or three crosses and bring in the goal of relief. Qualification for the World Cup is not in danger, it is secured in a safe and only Néstor Lorenzo knows the combination. Instead, it is about growing as a team for 2026, winning tough matches, being good away from home too…
It’s not serious either. It serves as a point of note: there are no easy rivals. And everyone will grow from now on. Because the US Cup was a filter: it served to keep the teams together for 40 days, draw conclusions, purge players who were not going and renew coaches who did not fit. The best proof is Paraguay. In four training sessions with Gustavo Alfaro, it showed another face, it resembled the historic Paraguay, brave, tough. It equaled Uruguay at the Centenario and was very close to bagging the three points. Peru improved, Bolivia raised a huge figure. It will be like this until the end. With everyone.
Cablegram style, we’ll say: Colombia didn’t play well -stop- they lacked that spark from the Copa América -stop- again under John Arias -stop- Sinisterra didn’t work, John Córdoba was swallowed up by the Peruvian mark, Durán made the most of the minutes they gave him -stop- Lerma-Ríos wasn’t the phenomenal tandem that shone in the United States, James’ crosses continue to be the bread, the water, the air we breathe -stop- Yaser Asprilla is delicious, but he’s missing a boil -stop-.
Captain Lorenzo will be able to read the communication and correct the course. And that’s it. The 1-1 is not enough.
The results of the seventh round of the qualifiers
* Formula. John Jader Duran’s tremendous aerial ability demonstrated in the twenty minutes he was on the pitch, combined with James’ famous crosses, can yield great dividends in the future. Duran went up three times and won all three with authority. It’s not just his big build and height, he drives well and hits better.
* Little knock. The most mediocre Brazil in history beat Sebastián Beccacece’s new Ecuador 1-0. To illustrate: the Canarinha did not create a single goal-scoring opportunity. The only goal was a shot by Rodrygo from the edge of the area (what we previously defined as “a little piece of dough”) that grazed William Pacho’s back, threw goalkeeper Galíndez off balance, hit the post and went in. Ecuador dominated for long stretches, but it is very difficult to score. The only really clear opportunity was at the feet of Moisés Caicedo, alone alone in front of Alisson, but he finished without class, at the goalkeeper’s body. The small crowd in Curitiba said goodbye to Dorival Junior’s team with whistles. They will surely be in the World Cup, but they generate indifference. “The national team is experiencing a tough clash between expectation and reality,” the Brazilian media agree.
Vinicius Junior
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* Cancelled. With full-back Angelo Preciado suspended from the game against Brazil, Beccacece called on a midfielder, Alan Franco, to mark Vinicius. Without ever playing in the position, without breaking a sweat, Franco erased the imminent Ballon d’Or winner, who had another sleepless night. A true star, once (once…!) wins the match on his own, or brings shine to the team, or raises the crowds. Or something. The sports daily Lance headli
ned: “Journalists do not forgive Vini Jr. after the victory of the National Team: ‘terrible’”. As Ronaldo said: “He is not a pretty player. I’m sorry, but that’s the reality”. He is only 24 years old, he can reach the top, for now he is not able to.
* Cried. The one who is truly great, without marketing, without press, is Luis Suárez, fired by his people in the draw against Paraguay. He retires from the Uruguayan National Team by his own decision when he is still in the game. What an extraordinary striker Suárez has been…! For this columnist, the best Uruguayan footballer in history, by far. And among South Americans…? There, there… La Celeste will mourn an unrepeatable player for his winning mentality, supreme tenacity, technique and goal. Against Paraguay he tried a scissor kick, without stopping it and the ball hit the post. If it was a goal, the Centenario would fall. Perhaps it will take fifty years or a century for Uruguay to give birth to another Luis Suárez. According to Sergio Gorzy, star journalist of eastern TV, “he is not leaving because he lacks the strength to continue or because there are better ones but because, like several, they cannot stand Bielsa any longer.”
* Low. “Uruguay did not play well, it was saved three times and lost its first two points at home,” says El Observador, from Montevideo, in its main Sports article. Uruguay was once again intense and resounding, but with little play. What is most worrying in the sky-blue camp is that against Venezuela, on Tuesday, they will be missing 12 players, almost all of them starters: Darwin Núñez, Bentancur, Josema Giménez, Ronald Araujo and Mathias Olivera due to the brawl against Colombia in Charlotte; Viña, De Arrascaeta and De la Cruz, injured; Luis Suárez due to withdrawal; Canobbio, separated due to his aggressive reaction to not being included in the game against Canada and now Nández and Valverde for receiving a second yellow card against the Guaranís. Venezuela has a golden opportunity to add three points at home.
* He revived. Bolivia was proactive in the resumption of this World Cup: it changed its coach, renewed its squad and chose the city of El Alto (next to La Paz) to host Venezuela, located 4,150 meters above sea level. Colombia will play there on October 10. It worked: the changes were invigorating. It won 4-0, raised its football production and its spirit, got back into the fight for a World Cup spot and gave the country some joy. The bad news: its two best players – Ramiro Vaca, who scored a notable goal, and Héctor Cuéllar – will not be against Chile after receiving a second yellow card.
* Disconsolation. “Argentina was celebrating Di María and they still gave us a hard time,” lamented Juan Cristóbal Guarello, the most followed journalist in Chile, on his YouTube channel. The expected replacement has not appeared. “The loss of hierarchy is taking its toll on the Chilean national team,” said Rodrigo Fuentealba in La Tercera. He added: “After 20 years, there will be no national players in the Champions League, while only five play in the most important leagues in Europe, compared to 25 a dozen years ago.” That is noticeable in La Roja.
* Merit. Argentina’s team, never giving up. In the midst of the celebrations for Di María’s farewell to the national team, amid fireworks, smiles and hugs, Scaloni’s group entered the field – without Messi – and ran over Chile: 3-0 with some touching. There is a pact among this squad not to allow themselves to relax, not even in a friendly. They can lose, on Tuesday they can lose in Barranquilla, it is highly possible due to the quality of the rival, but they will not give up, it is the security that this group of hard-working and intelligent players gives. They finished the Qualifiers for Qatar 2022 undefeated, they linked Copa América-World Cup-Copa América, they crushed Italy in the Finalissima, they lead the table in this qualifier, they suffered only 2 defeats in 64 games during Scaloni’s six years. And they want to continue. They fight every game as if it were their last. They are already the best Argentine National Team of all.
Last Tango…
Jorge Barraza
For THE TIME
@JorgeBarrazaOK
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