James Rodriguez scored and assisted as Colombia secured a 2-1 win over Argentina at the Estadio Metropolitano in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday night.
Argentina were without their skipper Lionel Messi, who was on the sidelines due to an ankle injury he sustained during the summer’s Copa America final against Colombia, while Colombia’s skipper James Rodriguez ran the show.
The former Real Madrid man teed up Yerson Mosquera following a corner in the 25th minute as the Wolverhampton midfielder rose highest to nod in the opener.
However, despite going into the interval with a slender 1-0 advantage, James Rodriguez gave the ball away in midfield, with Nico González latching onto it to slot home for Argentina’s equalizer.
The hosts lead was restored on the hour mark as Otamendi was found guilty of fouling Daniel Muñoz, leading to James Rodriguez expertly dispatching the resulting spot kick.
Colombia looked the more threatening to add another goal as Argentina succumbed to their first World Cup qualifying loss on the road since 2017.
After failing in the summer’s Copa America final, Colombia become the third team — Uruguay and Saudi Arabia the other two — to defeat Argentina since 2019.
Meanwhile, both sides are in pole position to qualify for the global showpiece, with Argentina at the summit of the standings with 18 points, while Colombia are two points off the top in second place.
By Andrews Sefa Bamfo
