Football/ World Cup 2026 qualifiers: Colombia stuns Argentina with a victory

James Rodriguez proved to be the difference-maker as Colombia secured a thrilling 2-1 victory over Argentina in World Cup qualifying action. The 33-year-old Rayo Vallecano midfielder slotted home a crucial penalty to hand Colombia a significant win against the reigning world champions, who were without their captain Lionel Messi.

The match began with Colombia on the front foot, and it didn’t take long for Rodriguez to make an impact.

In the 25th minute, he delivered a well-placed cross that found Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Yerson Mosquera, whose towering header gave Colombia the lead.

However, Argentina responded swiftly after halftime, with Nicolás González leveling the score just three minutes into the second period.

But the turning point came in the 60th minute when a VAR review confirmed a foul by Nicolás Otamendi on Crystal Palace’s Daniel Muñoz inside the box. Rodriguez confidently stepped up and sent Emiliano Martínez the wrong way, calmly burying the penalty and putting Colombia back in front.

Reflecting on the win, Rodriguez acknowledged the significance of the moment: “It’s my first goal against Argentina, and what a time to do it. We were playing against one of the best teams in the world, and this win is extra special.”

The victory was particularly sweet for Colombia, who had suffered a painful loss to Argentina in the Copa America final just two months prior.

The result also tightens the race at the top of the qualification table, with Argentina still in first place but now just two points ahead of second-placed Colombia.

In other World Cup qualifiers, Uruguay and Venezuela played out a goalless draw, while Japan cruised to a 5-0 win over Bahrain, with Premier League stars Wataru Endo, Kaoru Mitoma, and Daichi Kamada all featuring. Meanwhile, South Korea picked up a 3-1 victory against Oman, thanks to goals from Tottenham’s Son Heung-min and Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan.