Almada’s Late Goal Helps 10-Man Argentina Draw with Colombia

In a tense CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier, Argentina managed to salvage a 1-1 draw against Colombia, thanks to a late goal from Thiago Almada—despite being down to 10 men.

The reigning world champions had previously lost to Colombia in their last meeting and were once again staring at defeat on home soil. After conceding in the first half, Argentina’s situation worsened when Enzo Fernández received a straight red card in the second half. But Lionel Scaloni’s men fought back, with Almada’s 80th-minute strike ensuring they walked away with a point.

Colombia Strike First

The match at Buenos Aires’ Estadio Monumental started positively for Argentina, who featured Lionel Messi in the starting XI. Early on, Messi spearheaded a promising attack, but Colombia slowly gained control. The Copa América 2021 runners-up increasingly pressured Argentina with rapid counterattacks.

Their efforts paid off in the 24th minute. Kevin Castaño launched a counter from midfield and found Liverpool winger Luis Díaz—currently on Barcelona’s radar. Díaz surged down the left wing, skillfully maneuvered past three defenders, and calmly slotted the ball past Emiliano Martínez to give Colombia a 1-0 lead.

Argentina thought they had equalized just six minutes later, but the goal was ruled out for offside. They went into halftime trailing 1-0.

Setback for Argentina: Red Card for Fernández

In the second half, Argentina looked to bounce back. In the 63rd minute, Enzo Fernández missed a golden chance to level the score. Moments later, disaster struck—he caught Castaño in the head with his boot and was shown a straight red card.

Now down to 10 men and still trailing, Argentina had to dig deep. In the past, the team would have looked to Messi for a spark. But coach Lionel Scaloni had emphasized in his last press conference that this Argentina side no longer depends solely on Messi. True to his words, he substituted Messi in the 77th minute, bringing on Exequiel Palacios.

Almada to the Rescue

Just two minutes after Messi left the field, Argentina equalized. A quick throw-in led to a moment of brilliance from Thiago Almada, who dribbled past the Colombian low block with nimble footwork. From the right side of the box, he unleashed a powerful angled shot that smashed into the back of the net—bringing the score to 1-1.

Colombia nearly snatched a winner in the 86th minute, but the crossbar came to Argentina’s rescue. The match ended in a draw, meaning Argentina couldn’t claim victory over Colombia in either leg of the qualifiers.

Final Score:

Argentina 1 – 1 Colombia
Goals:

• Luis Díaz (24’) – Colombia
• Thiago Almada (80’) – Argentina