Colombian national team, with history on its side: it has not lost in Lima in qualifiers for 43 years

The Colombian National Team The team is fine-tuning details to face Peru this Friday as a visitor, on matchday 7 of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The team led by Néstor Lorenzo arrives in Lima with favorable statistics, since it has not lost there in World Cup qualifiers for 43 years. A trend that it hopes to maintain in this new confrontation, against a rival that is in last place in the table and without knowing victory.

The forces, at least on paper, are in favour of Colombia, which is third and undefeated in the qualifying round and is coming off a Copa América finalist, which it lost to Argentina, in a competition in which Peru was eliminated in the first round.

The stage is favourable for Colombia, although they face an opponent in dire need of a win and to take off in the qualifying round, in front of their fans, at the National Stadium in Lima. Peru is led by Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati, who has not yet managed to find the team’s upward curve and, in addition, will not be able to direct from the technical line due to suspension.

Historical reality is largely favorable to Colombia, which lost in Lima for the last time in 1981, in the qualifiers for the Spain 82 World Cup – a World Cup for which Peru qualified and Colombia did not. On that occasion, the match ended 2-0 in favor of the Peruvians with goals by Gerónimo ‘Patrulla’ Barbadillo and a penalty converted by Julio César Uribe. Since then, every time Colombia went to Lima it brought back a positive result, regardless of whether or not it qualified for the World Cup. What’s more, it has achieved 5 victories in the last 10 matches, 4 draws and only the defeat already mentioned.

The most recent match in Lima was in the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when Colombia won by a score of 0-3, with goals from Yerry Mina, Matheus Uribe and Luis Díaz. Colombia failed to qualify for that World Cup.

Peru is going through a period of changes, and has even dispensed with several of its historic players. Fossati called up 30 players for the double date of the qualifiers, and there are several important absences on the list, such as Paolo Guerrero, Christian Cueva, André Carrillo and Raúl Ruidíaz, four symbols of the team who are no longer in the coach’s plans.

Peruvians see this match as a great opportunity to take off and calm the criticism that arose from Peru’s poor performance in the Copa America.

“We are at home and we have to defend the home advantage… I think people will go to support us. We know that we are not in a good moment, but it is a new process,” said defender Luis Advíncula. A week ago, Fossati commented that “the Peruvian fan is a winner, a real winner. He is not the kind of winner who is only there when the wind blows you away, on the contrary, when the wind is against you, the fan gets stronger.”

Colombia, with its stars and its good form, with a team led by Luis Díaz, who is in a big presence at Liverpool, and James Rodríguez, who has not played since the Copa América but is the brains of the team, hopes to extend its unbeaten streak on Peruvian soil and continue its winning path.

PAUL ROMERO

Sports Editor

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