In theory, Colombia, at this time, still has mathematical options to reach the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In practice, the team that started the tie with Carlos Queiroz, who had a break point with two goals against and finished off with Reinaldo Rueda said goodbye to the World Cup this Monday, with a 1-0 defeat against Argentina, in a game in which he lacked ambition and only had one goal option. More of the same.
Before the game, the Colombian Football Federation put together a campaign in support of the team, inspired by a publication by Juan Fernando Quintero supporting his teammates, saying that he would get on the bus to continue with the illusion. The label was #YoMeMonto.
But those who seemed not to get on board were coach Reinaldo Rueda and the players. Everything started badly from the start: in the image in which the Federation showed the starting line-up, he seemed to play with two brand-name midfielders, Cuadrado as a winger, James behind Borja and Luis Díaz on the other side.
But on the court, the drawing was different and the attitude, even worse. James was extreme, Cuadrado started alongside the recovery midfielders and the team, which needed to win to at least think about the playoffs, ended up waiting to see what Argentina had to offer.
And the champions of America, at their own pace, accelerated until they found the goal, which was scored by Lautaro Martínez in a play where all the planning problems were reflected, with James making a shadow and not scoring.
Colombia, who came only once in the first half, once again ate an incredible goal, near the end, in a great pass from Díaz to Borja. With time and space to define, the striker threw it at ‘Dibu’ Martínez’s body.
For the second half, Rueda fixed the drawing and put together something similar to what the FCF gave to the press. And in those ten minutes, there was something of a different attitude. But the DT was not happy and ended up taking James out to put another forward, Luis Suárez. Colombia was left lame again, disconnected and exposed to another goal being scored. Vargas avoided it on two occasions, in a free kick by Di María and in a shot by the PSG attacker from outside the area.
Argentina set the pace and played as they wanted. Colombia had a little more attitude, but did not generate any danger, it was flat, with those who started and with those who finished, with Cuadrado on the side, with Diego Valoyes on the wing, with Víctor Cantillo instead of Mateus Uribe, a terrible night ; with Falcao instead of Borja, but without contact with the ball, and with Cuéllar instead of Barrios, in an inexplicable change of brand midfielder for brand midfielder.
The only scare in the Argentine goal was an offside action, which ended in an almost own goal by Nicolás González, goalkeeper Martínez found it. The most dangerous thing in Colombia was a play that was worthless and due to someone else’s action…
With 646 minutes without scoring, their worst goalless streak in the history of the tie, without generating options and without a soul, Colombia has one foot and four toes on the other out of the World Cup. Nothing more to say.
Jose Orlando Ascencio
Sports Sub-Editor
@josasc
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