The Colombian soccer team, with a goal from forward Rafael Santos Borré, beat Venezuela 1-0 on Thursday and achieved its first victory in the South American Qualifiers qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The match was played at the Metropolitan Stadium of this city in the Colombian Caribbean before more than 50,000 spectators.
In the first half, the Colombian team, led by Argentine coach Néstor Lorenzo, assumed control of the match and sought to surprise Venezuela.
Colombia had control of the ball, but the Venezuelan team was tactically applied, maintained concentration and waited for the home team without giving defensive advantages.
Although the Venezuelan team, led by the Argentine Fernando Batistaplayed with a defensive scheme, achieved offensive projections in front of the goal Camilo Vargas.
Before the end of the first half, Colombia He had two clear scoring options, but Venezuelan goalkeeper Rafael Romo reacted and prevented his goal from falling.
The coffee team pressed the accelerator at the beginning of the second half and opened the scoring with a precise header from Santos Borré after a cross from the right by midfielder Jhon Arias.
From that moment on, Colombia was superior, controlled the ball and repeatedly reached the Venezuelan goal, but without realizing the goal options.
Forward Luis Díaz from Liverpool of England was the most striking player in Colombia’s attack with permanent overflows on the left side and arrivals at Romo’s goal.
The Colombian national team coach acknowledged that the match against Venezuela was difficult and assured that patience was key to achieving victory.
“A complicated game, they gave us a good approach in the first half, it was difficult for us to get in, we knew it was a game to be patient, to open paths and thank God He gave it to us,” said Lorenzo at the end of the game.
The coach admitted that despite the multiple scoring opportunities that Colombia wasted, the match could have ended goalless.
On the next day, Colombia will face Chile as a visitor in Santiago, while Venezuela will host Paraguay.
The 2026 World Cup will be played in Mexico, the United States and Canada, and will feature the participation of 48 teams for the first time in history.
The South American Football Confederation will receive two more places than it had in the last qualifying rounds, meaning that through CONMEBOL six teams will qualify directly for the next World Cup and one more will compete in a playoff against a team from another confederation.
Formations and scores
Source: Ambito
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