Two South American football powerhouses lost their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying matches in the absence of their biggest stars, as Lionel Messi missed Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Colombia and Neymar was absent as Brazil was upset by Paraguay.
Colombia 2-1 Argentina:
It was sweet revenge for Colombia, who were beaten 1-0 by Argentina in a bitterly disappointing Copa America final loss as the World Cup 2022 winners also lifted the continental trophy in Miami in July. The Colombians seemed to have that match on their minds as they found a way to beat Argentina for the first time since 2019.
Yerson Mosquera opened the scoring for Colombia with a close-range header in the 25th minute but Argentina equalized in the 48th after Nico Gonzalez intercepted a Rodriguez pass. Rodriguez made amends on the hour with his penalty, awarded after a video review, securing the win at the Metropolitano Stadium.
“It is a great win against an Argentina team that has won it all,” Rodriguez said. “The weather was tough, it was so hot, but we had an excellent match. It is a fair win.”
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the heat had an impact on the match. “The heat is the same for both, but it is evident that there were not good conditions for us to see a spectacle,” the coach said.
Paraguay 1-0 Brazil:
Gomez scored for Paraguay from the edge of the box, with the ball deflecting in off goalkeeper Alisson’s right post. Brazil had few opportunities to equalize and gave coach Dorival Junior his first defeat since taking over in January.
Brazil’s coach, usually reserved in front of the media, told a news conference on Monday that his team will be in the next World Cup final. The defeat at Paraguay suggested he was still miles away from delivering on that promise.
Brazil’s attack lacked intensity, failing to register a shot on target in the first half. This defeat follows an unconvincing 1-0 win against Ecuador last week. Manager Dorival Jr. now faces increased pressure to improve the team’s performance.
His idea of starting against a defensively sound Paraguay team with a trio of Real Madrid strikers – Vinicius Junior, Endrick, and Rodrygo – failed. Midfielder Lucas Moura said “The game was over” as soon as the hosts opened the scoring in the 20th minute.
“They already came to defend, even more so after they scored,” substitute Moura said.
Defender Marquinhos said Brazil’s squad doesn’t have “the usual confidence” in recent times. “We are trying to find the best way to play,” he said. “Many pieces are being changed.”
