Colombia edge Australia with James Rodríguez goal, eye Copa Sul-Americana | OneFootball

With goals from James Rodríguez, Luis Díaz, and Jefferson Lerma, Colombia defeated Australia 3-0 this Tuesday in a friendly match, their last game before a 2026 in which they will compete in the World Cup in North America.

With goals in the 31st and 43rd minutes of the second half from the key Cafeteros players, the Colombian national team ended a year of ups and downs against the Socceroos in New York. Lerma sealed the rout at 47 minutes into the second half.

After being questioned for long periods for not showing outstanding performance, the Cafeteros secured their qualification for the World Cup after missing out on the 2022 edition, finishing third in the South American Qualifiers, behind Argentina and Ecuador.

Now, the Argentine coach is making the final adjustments to the squad he will take to the tournament organized by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

“I think today we have a very good competition that will make all of them better,” said Lorenzo at a press conference after the match. “It will be hard to choose because everyone is at a very good level,” and “it’s a beautiful challenge.”

Tuesday’s match was the ninth consecutive game without defeat, including last weekend’s 2-1 win over New Zealand.

Colombia will find out its opponents on December 5, at the World Cup draw, which begins in June.

A spot up for grabs

Lorenzo has made it clear, even if between the lines, that the squad for the World Cup is practically set.

Except for minor changes, most of those called up for this round of friendlies will be on the list, with the addition of Juan Fernando Quintero, who missed these games to focus on his club, River Plate.

The coach is still testing different options to fill a spot as right winger.

This time, he started with Yáser Asprilla from Girona. The 22-year-old constantly linked up with James Rodríguez, but Australia closed up and broke Colombia’s rhythm with fouls.

Díaz also couldn’t break through the Australian wall in the first half—just as he is set to play in the first World Cup of his career while enjoying a great moment at Bayern Munich.

Late goals

Lorenzo leaves this pair of friendlies with some concern about his strikers. Against New Zealand, the starter was Jhon Córdoba, but the top scorer had a discreet performance.

This time, the starting eleven included Luis Suárez, faster and more dynamic, but the result was the same: zero goals.

Near the end of a match that was otherwise lukewarm, Juan Camilo Portilla left midfield and positioned himself in the box. After a shot from him, an Australian defender lightly touched the ball with his fingers. James converted the penalty with a left-footed cross shot.

Then, Australian goalkeeper Paul Izzo failed to anticipate Rafael Borré, and the ball fell to Díaz, who finished with no goalkeeper in the net.

In the final minutes, Jefferson Lerma took advantage of a scramble in the box with several players and scored the third after a corner kick.

  See this photo on Instagram   A post shared by Selección Colombia (@fcfseleccioncol)

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.