Argentina Vs. Colombia, Copa América

There’s one day that will forever stand out in the memories of Colombian football fans: 5th September, 1993. On that day the Colombian football team travelled to Buenos Aires is the final qualifying match of the campaign, with Colombia needing just a draw for qualification and Argentina needing to win.

Led by the mercurial, unmistakable figure of Carlos ‘El Pibe’ Valderrama, Colombia massacred their opponents resulting in one of the most infamous footballing upsets of all time. Colombia eventually ran out 5-0 winners, a scoreline that included two sublime goals from Asprilla and Valencia respectively. The victory left critics dumbfounded and prompted Pele to pronounce Colombia favourites for World Cup USA ’94.

Colombia 5 – 0 Argentina

So what are the chances of that happening again?

Officially they stand at 500/1, and that might be accurate enough considering the mountainous performance it would take, but, lest we forget, Argentina only narrowly escaped with a draw against a Bolivia squad ranked by FIFA as 93rd in the world and 10th (out of 10) in South America. Moreover, Argentinian football is still under the shadow of one of the biggest shocks in its history; namely the relegation of River Plate from the nations first division.

Add this to a buoyant mood in Colombia following their 1-0 opening victory against (an admittedly under-par) Costa Rica and the chances of an upset, whatever the scoreline, don’t seem quite so distant.

Players to watch

Lionel Messi: Of course when you’ve got the best player in the world on your team there’s always a chance you can pull something out the bag, but Messi has struggled on the international stage thanks to a combination of pressure and tactical ineptitude from his managers. He cuts a slighted figure in comparison with the shadow his diminutive frame manages to cast over La Liga and, yet, owing to his remarkable talents, we’re still picking him out as the one to watch for Argentina. A player like Messi can pop up at any time and produce a bit of magic that will change the game.

 

 

 

 

 

Radamel Falcao: Another player that struggles to bring his best game to the international stage, Falcao has been an influential figure at FC Porto for 2 years now, combining technical deftness with a natural eye for a goal. So far he has been unimpressive, and was subdued against Costa Rica. So why is he our one to watch for Colombia? For Colombia this is a much bigger game than for Argentina (although their under-performance in their previous match lends this one a greater significance). This will cement their progression to the next round and, more importantly, announce their return to football’s main stage. For this reason it’ll be down to their big names to perform and Falcao will be pivotal to their success.

We are, of course, rooting for Colombia here at Colombia Travel Blog and we’ll be Tweeting our reactions live later on, so head on over to our Twitter and stay up-to-date.

Vamos Colombia!

Paul