Colombian national team fought hard but couldn’t find the goal: individual ratings after losing to Argentina

The Colombia selection She was unable to complete her participation in the Copa America in the United States with a victory. She fought hard, gave her all, had brilliant moments, and excited an entire country, but in the final match against Argentina she was unable to overcome the world champion.

In the final, the national team stood up to Messi’s team, played fearlessly, and although it did not create clear scoring opportunities, it did show a lot of personality and put the powerful rival in a difficult position. In the individual balance, the general conclusions are that James did not have his best game, that Lucho Díaz did not play his best. Players such as Jefferson Lerma, the best of all, Dávinson Sánchez and goalkeeper Camilo Vargas, who could not prevent the goal, but saved two balls that were going in, stood out. That is how Colombia played.

Colombia Ratings

CAMILO VARGAS: Camilo was Saint Camilo. The saves he made were like shouting goals for Colombia. First, he threw himself at the ball as if he had millions of hands, he touched the ball and prevented the goal; then he saved another shot as if the whole country was throwing itself onto the field with him. That was a heart-stopping save. However, in the decisive play, the most important one, in the shot that marked the fate of the match, he couldn’t stop that blessed ball that passed very close to his head. He was a shot-stopper, and when he turned around he barely saw how that ball was already resting in the net, to his sadness and that of an entire country. Six points.

SANTIAGO ARIAS: He tried to make sure that no one missed the suspended Daniel Muñoz and he was very demanding. In the first half he was another attacker, almost scoring a goal with a very good cross shot; in defense, he risked his life in every duel. However, with Di María he had moments of suffering and when Nico González came on it was much worse, he suffered the final like an open wound that hurt him and all of Colombia with the result. Six points.

DAVINSON SANCHEZ: He was a machine, he rejected everything that came to his grounds, he smashed balls without shame, without taking the slightest risk, he won all his duels, and when it was his turn to go on the attack he almost scored a goal in the way he knows best, with a header, but his header went over. As a defender that he is, he also takes the losing goal. Seven points.

CARLOS CUESTA: Another who had to push himself to the limit to avoid mistakes, was sure in the duels, was the ideal complement to Dávinson Sánchez, clearing balls from his area and putting in strong legs, but he was left hanging in the most important play of the match, he marked poorly and had to watch from the front row as Lautaro Martínez advanced freely and scored the Argentine goal. Five points.

JOHAN MOJICA: His priority was to defend, not to go out too much, to watch his back to avoid surprises. However, when he felt certain freedoms, he freed himself, went forward and made good crosses that carried danger. However, he had a gift at the end of the second half that made all his teammates and an entire country tremble due to his inattention, and in the Argentine goal he was also played. Six points.

JEFFERSON LERMA: He didn’t think twice about kicking, with a confidence as big as that stadium in Miami. He tried twice and scared Dibu, the Argentine goalkeeper; his boldness infected his teammates. In his defensive work he showed his teeth in the midfield, he bit and growled and scratched and won every ball. Nobody in Argentina wanted to stumble head-on into that movi
ng wall. The grass of that stadium was flooded with his sweat. He left exhausted when he could no longer bear so much demand. Seven points.

Richard Rios: He closed the Copa America as he started it, with class, with his exciting ball handling that makes him so different from the rest, that drives his rivals to despair; in addition, he had a daring shot from outside the area. When he left the field, his absence was very noticeable, because he was the player who paused, thought and distributed the ball, especially when James was off. Richard leaves as the great revelation of the national team. Six points.

JHON ARIAS: He didn’t hold back a drop of sweat, he ran a lot, he fought for every ball, he tried to create partnerships on the left side. He made a lot of effort to help recover the ball, and he had a good shot that couldn’t end in a goal, until he was left without legs. Six points.

JAMES RODRIGUEZ: The ’10’, the star, the star, was a figure in almost the entire Copa America; in fact, he was chosen as the best player of the tournament, but his brilliance was dulled in the final. He was not the most outstanding James, the one most expected; beyond some successful long passes and his dangerous crosses, he was unable to make the definitive pass that clarified the situation. James deserved the title. Six points.

LUIS DIAZ: He could not be the great Lucho, but he ran a lot, it’s a shame he didn’t have the same lucidity as always, his spark that lights up the attack, the one he experiences every week at Liverpool. In this Copa America he changed his gala suit for overalls, he got dirty up to his face and left his soul in every game. In the final, in the midst of his desire to stand out and help and be a real protagonist, he moved from the left to the right, he even walked around the center, back, forward; he wanted to intervene and shine, but he couldn’t find spaces and the marking was suffocating him until he left exhausted. Six points.

JHON CORDOBA: He had very little room to manoeuvre in the area, he was useless among the Argentine defenders; he did have one chance that was a goal, but the shot was deflected, perhaps, by the wind; he also earned a yellow card. In any case, his Cup was very good: Six points.

Those who entered

RAFAEL SANTOS DELETED: He came on for Córdoba (43rd ST). He had no chance to score, he was mobile, but his weight as a goal-scoring forward was not evident. In general, during the time he was on the pitch he intervened very little with the ball. Five points.

KEVIN BROWN: He came in for Ríos (43rd ST). He came in with a lot of dynamics, with a back-and-forth game, he wanted to be the solution, a lung that would refresh the team, but he is marked by the ball he lost at the start in the Argentine goal, leaving the team in a bad position. Five points.

JUAN FERNANDO QUINTERO: He came in for James (1st overtime). Juanfer showed all his class in a few plays, with precise passes and great technique. But he didn’t have the definitive ball that could make the difference in the game. Six points.

MIGUEL BORJA: He came on for Díaz (1 second of extra time). He had his chance, he made a good move entering the area, he received a great pass from Carrascal, he faced up, he went towards the goal and he was very close to being able to hit well when he was already being marked heavily. He couldn’t score and then he ended up fighting with the Argentines and the referee, and in despair. No grade.

MATHEUS URIBE: He came on for Lerma (1 second overtime). Matheus was not noticeable during his time on the court, he was not a decisive change for the team, beyond the air he gave to some areas. On the other hand, Lerma was fouled a lot. No grade.

JORGE CARRASCAL: He came on for Jhon Arias (1st second of extra time). He came on in a cracking state, with passes that made all of Argentina tremble, one of those passes left Borja close to the goal, but it didn’t happen. Carrascal, perhaps with more time, could have given the team more clarity in its quest to find the goal. No grade.

PAUL ROMERO

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