Argentina was held to a draw against Colombia in their quest for World cup qualification. CONMEBOL qualifiers have a history of getting nasty and violent over the years. This match also looked to be on the same pathway with fans entering the stadiums after a long hiatus due to covid. Argentina started the match being second in the group standings whereas Colombia, started the match outside of the qualifying spots. 

The match had a great start with Argentina putting pressure on Colombia and creating clear cut chances. This resulted in Argentina getting the opener 3 minutes into the match. Rodrigo de Paul sent a great cross towards Christian Romero who scored a brilliant header over Ospina which resulted in Argentina taking the lead. Colombia was left scattered and before they could regroup they faced another setback. Argentina doubled their lead in the 8th minute through a Leandro Parades strike which left the Colombian defence in splits. Argentina looked set for another comfortable win against Colombia especially after a commanding performance by Emi Martinez. But after the 40th minute, there was a twist in the tale. Emiliano Martinez who looked set between the sticks suffered a concussion while saving a header against Yerry mina. The collision left Emi Martinez on the ground leaving Messi as well as his other teammates worried. The medical team did not take any chances and took him straight to the hospital.

The match took a turn for the worse for the Argentinian team as after losing their mainstay goalkeeper their backline crumbled. While on the other end Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina made some spectacular and heroic saves to keep Colombia in the game. This in turn bear fruit when Otamendi fouled Uribe in the Penalty Box giving Colombia a perfect chance to get back into the game. Luis Muriel scored from the spot and Colombia were back into the game. In the 58th minute, Ospina made another brilliant save by deflecting a Lionel Messi freekick above the bar. The ball was going in but Ospina somehow scrambled and got towards the ball. The game was nearing its end and during the last kick of the game Borja equalized and the game ended in a 2 - 2 draw. Colombia would definitely be the happier of the two sides after this result as they have jumped up to 5th place after this result. But Argentina would definitely feel har done by the result as they had made a brilliant start and a series of unfortunate events cost them all three points. Argentinan Boss Lionel Scaloni feels that his side deserved all three points after the match. Emiliano Martinez is currently undergoing a checkup at the hospital.

Do comment if you watched the match and if you liked the article. Argentina will begin their Copa America journey soon so stay tuned.