BARRANQUILLA, Colombia — Two of South America’s most prominent soccer teams suffered defeats in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday, hampered by the absence of their star players. Argentina fell 2-1 to Colombia without Lionel Messi, while Brazil experienced an upset loss to Paraguay, missing Neymar.
James Rodríguez played a crucial role for Colombia, scoring a penalty and providing an assist to help his team secure a 2-1 victory against the reigning champions. In Asunción, Diego Gómez scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Paraguay against Brazil.
Both Argentina and Brazil found it difficult to perform in the absence of their injured superstars, as replacements failed to secure away victories.
Colombia took the lead at the Estadio Metropolitano when Yerson Mosquera headed in from close range in the 25th minute. Argentina responded in the 48th minute with an equalizer from Nico Gonzalez, who intercepted a Rodríguez pass. Rodríguez later ensured victory for Colombia by converting a penalty awarded after a video review in the 60th minute.
In Paraguay, Gómez scored from the edge of the box, with the shot deflecting off Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson’s right post. Brazil struggled to create scoring opportunities and suffered the first loss under coach Dorival Júnior since his appointment in January.
In other matches on Tuesday, Bolivia shocked Chile with a 2-1 victory, Ecuador beat Peru 1-0, and Venezuela played to a goalless draw with Uruguay.
Following these results, Argentina leads the South American qualifying standings with 18 points after eight matches, two points ahead of Colombia. Uruguay sits in third with 15 points, just ahead of Ecuador with 14, while Brazil lags behind in fifth place with 10 points.
All teams will have two more qualifying matches next month, with the top six earning automatic berths to the 2026 World Cup.
Colombia’s victory is their first over Argentina since 2019 and comes after they previously faced Argentina in the Copa America final in July. Rodríguez emphasized the significance of the win against a team that has achieved so much.
“It is a great win against an Argentina team that has won it all,” Rodríguez said. “The weather was tough, it was so hot, but we had an excellent match. It is a fair win.”
Rodríguez’s assist for Mosquera’s goal tied the record for most assists in South American World Cup qualifiers at 11, while his penalty goal marked the 13th in qualifying, equaling Falcao García’s record.
Argentina’s forwards, Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez, were unable to be as impactful without Messi’s creativity to facilitate their scoring opportunities.
Coach Lionel Scaloni noted the heat affected both teams but acknowledged it hindered Argentina’s ability to perform.
“The heat is the same for both, but it is evident that there were not good conditions for us to see a spectacle,” he said.
In the other match, Brazil’s coach remains optimistic about his team’s prospects despite the disappointment. After a promising start to the match, midfielder Lucas Moura remarked that Paraguay’s early goal shifted the game’s momentum.
Brazil’s defender Marquinhos acknowledged that the team is struggling with confidence and is in a transitional phase as they seek to improve their play.
Paraguay’s win keeps them in the conversation for World Cup qualification, a marked turnaround after recent struggles.