in the stadium Centenary from Montevideo, Uruguay beat Colombia 3-2 and became Argentina’s new guard in the South American Qualifiers. The coffee growers took the lead with a great free kick goal from Juan Fernando Quintero when the first half was halfway through, but in the first quarter of an hour, in just three minutes, the local team went on to win with goals from Davinson Sánchez, against, and Rodrigo Aguirre.
Everything seemed happy for Marcelo Bielsa’s team, but in the sixth minute of added time a blow came from the goal of Andres Gomez for the visit. Despite claims of a previous infraction, referee Kevin Paolo Ortega sanctioned the temporary tie. There were only seconds left and the Celeste would have one more, which Manuel Ugarte took advantage, unleashing madness for the agonizing triumph.
In this way, Uruguay was left with three key points that allowed it not only to climb to second place in the standings, but also to avenge the last rough crossing in the Copa América which ended with scandal. This was one of the two matches that closed Date 11 of the South American Qualifiers on the way to the United States-Mexico-Canada 2026 World Cup. It was directed by Peruvian Kevin Ortega and televised TyC Sports.
The Celeste recovers after passing through most critical moment since the arrival of Marcelo Bielsa: because they had played five matches after the elimination in the semifinals of the Copa América and had not been able to add victories (four draws, three of them 0-0, and a defeat with who was bottom, Peru). But, in addition, the already retired Luis Suárez exposed a fierce internal situation in the locker room that put the Argentine coach in the eye of the storm, who beyond making a defense decided to continue with his work.
Los Charrúas They did not miss the good opportunity to redeem themselves at home against their last executioner in the Copa América and thanks to this victory, they reached it in points in the World Cup Qualifying table and will also secure second place – at least for a few days – for goal difference (+8 versus +6). This is an important step for the Uruguayans, especially considering that next Tuesday they will visit Brazil in Salvador de Bahia.
Bielsa attended this event with significant absences due to the injuries of Nicolás De La Cruz and Giorgian De Arrascaeta. In addition, Bentancur won the fight against Manuel Ugarte in the middle of the field, with him were Facundo Pellistri, Rodrigo Aguirre and Maximiliano Araújo, and the area reference was Darwin Núñez.
The Colombians live another reality as a result of their good performance in the Copa América (they lost the final with Argentina) that moved them to the playoffs. They precisely prevailed against the Albiceleste in Barranquilla after a draw as a visitor to Peru, while they once again became strong at home with a resounding 4-0 victory against Chile after the setback at the height of La Paz against Bolivia. Now it’s time to replicate outside the home the performance that is exhibited locally.
Those led by Argentine Néstor Lorenzo are the team that has lost the least so far in the competition: they only lost to Bolivia in El Alto at more than 4,000 meters high. After Argentina’s defeat night against Paraguay in Asunciónlos coffee growers will have the opportunity to reach the Combined if they are imposed on Montevideo soil.
The Argentine strategist proposes a team similar to that of his last presentations, with the novelty of the absence of James Rodriguez as the central axis of the attacks, in its place appears Juanfer Quintero. If they enter tonight’s event, number 10 will equal the record of games played by Carlos Valderrama (111). This item is currently led by David Ospina with 128 matches. In second place is Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, now at Atalanta in Italy, with 116. Then comes Kid and very close in fourth place, James.
Trainings:
Uruguay: Sergio Rochet; Nahitan Nandez, Jose Gimenez, Mathias Olivera, Marcelo Saracchi; Rodrigo Bentancur, Rodrigo Aguirre, Federico Valverde; Facundo Pellistri, Darwin Nunez and Maximilian Araújo. DT: Marcelo Bielsa.
Colombia: Camilo Vargas; Daniel Muñoz, Davinson Sánchez, John Lucumí, Johan Mojica; Richard Ríos, Juan Portilla; Jhon Arias, Juan Fernando Quintero, Luis Díaz; and Jhon Durán. DT: Nestor Lorenzo.
Estadio: Centennial (Montevideo).
Arbitrator: Kevin Ortega (Peru).
Will televise: TyC Sports (an Argentina).
