BARRANQUILLA, Colombia (AP) — James Rodríguez scored from the penalty spot and had an assist to help Colombia edge defending champion Argentina 2-1 on Tuesday in a South American World Cup qualifier.
Injured Argentina star Lionel Messi didn’t play in Barranquilla, the first match between the teams since the Copa America final.
Yerson Mosquera opened the scoring in the 25th minute but Argentina equalized in the 48th when Nico Gonzalez capitalized on a defensive blunder from the Colombians. Rodríguez’ 60th-minute penalty, which was awarded after a video review, secured the win at the Metropolitano Stadium.
World Cup champion Argentina lifted the Copa America trophy after a 1-0 overtime victory over Colombia in July.
Colombia, which hadn’t triumphed over Argentina since 2019, is still unbeaten in South American World Cup qualifying.
Argentina leads the round-robin competition with 18 points after eight matches, two points clear of Colombia.
Also on Tuesday, Bolivia upset Chile 2-1 at Santiago and Ecuador beat Peru 1-0. Venezuela vs. Uruguay and Paraguay vs. Brazil were still to play.
The top six teams in South American qualifying will get automatic spots at the 2026 World Cup.
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Colombia once again had the 33-year-old Rodríguez to thank after he gave a perfect cross for Mosquera to nod in and opening the scoring. That equalized Carlos Valderrama’s record of 11 assists in South American World Cup qualifying.
A mistake by Rodríguez allowed Argentina to equalize, with Nico González stealing the ball from him and shooting past goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.
But Rodríguez made amends when he beat Dibu Martínez, a prolific penalty stopper, and equalized Falcao García’s mark of 13 goals in World Cup qualifying.
Argentina’s strikers Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez failed to offer as much danger as they do when veteran Messi is there to create opportunities for them.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer