James Rodriguez scored and provided an assist as Colombia earned a 2-1 victory over Argentina at the Estadio Metropolitano in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday night.
Argentina played without their captain, Lionel Messi, who was sidelined due to an ankle injury from the Copa America final against Colombia. In contrast, Colombia’s captain James Rodriguez played a pivotal role.
Rodriguez assisted Yerson Mosquera with a corner kick in the 25th minute, allowing the Wolverhampton midfielder to head in the opening goal. Despite taking a 1-0 lead into halftime, Rodriguez gave away possession in midfield, leading to Nico González scoring Argentina’s equalizer.
Colombia regained the lead in the 60th minute when Otamendi fouled Daniel Muñoz, and Rodriguez calmly converted the resulting penalty to secure the win.
Colombia appeared more likely to score again as Argentina suffered their first World Cup qualifying defeat on the road since 2017.
Following their loss in the summer’s Copa America final, Colombia became the third team to defeat Argentina since 2019, joining Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.
Both teams remain in strong positions to qualify for the World Cup, with Argentina leading the standings with 18 points, while Colombia sits just two points behind in second place.
