James Rodríguez converted a penalty to secure a 2-1 victory for Colombia against Argentina, the reigning champions of both the World Cup and Copa América, during a South American World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi, Argentina’s star player, was absent due to injury as the teams faced off for the first time since the Copa América final.
Colombia took an early lead in the 25th minute with a goal from Yerson Mosquera, but Argentina equalized shortly after halftime in the 48th minute when Nico Gonzalez capitalized on a defensive mistake by the Colombians. Rodríguez’s penalty in the 60th minute ultimately clinched the win at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Argentina, who won the Copa América trophy after a narrow 1-0 victory over Colombia in July, had not lost to Colombia since 2019 but remains on top of the South American qualifying standings with 18 points from eight matches, just two points ahead of Colombia.
The top six teams in the South American qualifiers will earn automatic berths to the 2026 World Cup.
Rodríguez played a pivotal role, providing a perfect cross for Mosquera’s opening goal, which tied Carlos Valderrama’s record of 11 assists in South American World Cup qualifying. However, a lapse from Rodríguez allowed Argentina to level the match when Gonzalez intercepted the ball and scored.
Rodríguez later redeemed himself by converting the penalty against Emiliano Martínez, who is known for being a strong penalty stopper, tying Radamel Falcao’s record of 13 goals in World Cup qualifying.
Argentina’s attackers, Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez, struggled to make an impact without Messi’s creative presence on the field.