Colombia and Spain had last met in a 2017 international friendly in Murcia and both David Silva and Radamel Falcao were on the scoresheet as the score finished 2-2.
This time it was 1-0 to Colombia at West Ham’s London Stadium; a first victory against Spain in their history. Both sides went head to head in their eye-catching new Adidas away kits as they look forward to the Copa America and European Championship’s this summer, but for Colombia this game seemed to mean more.
However Colombia could barely manage a 20% share of the possession in the opening ten minutes of the game; Spain played the ball around the South Americans with quality, but didn’t overly threaten Colombia keeper Camilo Vargas, having just one shot on target in the opening period.
Spain played with the passing rhythm of a club side who knew their teammates and system well. Colombia on the other hand looked off the pace; their high press didn’t garner much success and they struggled on the ball. A couple of typical Luis Díaz runs down the left showed promise but ended in nothing. Yet this truly was a game of two halves, as in the end Colombia would earn a fantastic victory over Spain.
The second half saw the emergence of Colombia legend James Rodriguez from the tunnel; sporting the number ‘10’ jersey and the captain’s armband. Colombia looked like a different team immediately; commanding the ball and stretching Spain in the opening minutes. They had gone from looking lost to looking fearless.
Gerard Moreno had a sight of goal for Spain, but a stunning Colombia counter-attack would open the scoring. James found Díaz who turned his man inside out and provided a tempting cross. Crystal Palace defender Daniel Muñoz still had plenty to do at the back post but he flashed home the half-volley to send the ‘Cafetero’ fans wild. They deserved their lead for the intensity they injected into the second-half, Spain were caught lapsing.
The spirit shown by the Colombia players suggested this meant a lot more than just being a friendly; they fought for every ball like it was a World Cup tie. They have now gone 20 games unbeaten and have a streak of true quality in their line-up. They cannot be overlooked as Copa America contenders. In the end Spain left a lot to be desired and will need to show a lot more against Brazil on Tuesday.
Elsewhere in the last 24 hours a spirited Venezuela side were defeated 2-1 by Italy in the U.S. The Argentina native Mateo Retegui bagged a brace for his adopted homeland in what has been a fine rise to international football. Retegui was leading the line for lowly Tigre in the Argentinian league just a year ago and is now shining on the international stage.
Ecuador defeated Guatemala 2-0 and Chile had an impressive result against Albania; a side coached by Brazilian Sylvinho and his assistant; Argentine Pablo Zabaleta. La Roja won 3-0 but have a tougher clash with France coming up in Marseille.
