Richard Ríos struggles at Benfica, misses chance to shine for Colombia | OneFootball

Colombia defeated New Zealand 2-1 in a friendly match held early this morning in Fort Lauderdale, United States. Richard Ríos, Benfica's midfielder, did not leave the bench, as Néstor Lorenzo took advantage of the friendly to test new options.

In the pre-match conference, the coach had already anticipated the use of players who had fewer minutes in the qualification phase. Although the Argentine coach assured that Ríos was "available" after suffering a right ankle injury, the midfielder was rested in the first of two friendly matches played by the cafeteros.

The Colombian press reported in recent days that Richard Ríos's physical condition was being managed by the technical team. The footballer watched from the bench as Benjamin Old scored the equalizer in the 80th minute, eight minutes before Johan Carbonero put Colombia back in the lead.

Richard Ríos continues to struggle to establish himself. In his first months with Benfica, the Colombian international has not yet lived up to the expectations placed on him, given the significant investment made, and his situation is beginning to attract interest abroad.

Furthermore, Richard Ríos might lose the confidence of José Mourinho. The mistake made by the player in the match against Casa Pia (2-2) caused some discomfort. On the other hand, there are those who believe that the partnership with Enzo Barrenechea may be numbered.

Ríos as a substitute in Colombia:

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