Colombia beat reigning world champions Argentina by 2-1 in WC qualifiers

James Rodrguez 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.

The Argentina attack missed Lionel Messi, who was sidelined because of injury for the 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. Rodrguez' 60th-minute penalty, which was awarded after a video review, secured the win at the Metropolitano Stadium.

It is a great win against an Argentina team that has won it all," Rodrguez said. The weather was tough, it was so hot, but we had an excellent match. It is a fair win.

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.

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