In the 2019 Copa América in Brazil, Colombia beat Paraguay 1-0, with Gustavo Cuéllar scoring. / AFP / Raul ARBOLEDA
Photo: AFP – RAUL ARBOLEDA
The Colombian senior team will begin its participation in the Copa América 2024, in the United States, this Monday, June 24. The team led by Argentine coach Néstor Lorenzo will debut against the Paraguayan team, in Houston, starting at 5:00 pm.
And as in any short competition, it will be essential to start winning, to face the continental tournament with greater peace of mind, to which the tricolor will arrive as one of the favorites, behind Argentina, Brazil and perhaps Uruguay.
While the national team finalizes details for the game at the NRG stadium, here we review the historical duels between Colombia and Paraguay in the previous Copa América.
The first time they met was in 1947, at the George Capwell Stadium in Guayaquíl, Ecuador, where Paraguay won with a double from Juan Bautista Villalba. Two years later, Dimayor did not authorize the trip of the Colombian team to the South American tournament that was played in Rio de Janeiro and Adefútbol decided that Junior would represent the country. On that occasion the victory for the Guaraníes was 3-0 with two goals from César López Fretes and one from Duilio Benítez.
The paternity of the Paraguayans continued. In 1963, in Cochabamba, Bolivia, they won 3-2, with goals from Eladio Zárate, Féliz Arámbulo and Carlos Martínez. The Colombian goals were from Carlos Campillo and an own goal from Lucio Calonga.
The first Colombian victory occurred only in 1975, when both teams played a triangular match with Ecuador to define a semifinalist. On July 20, in El Campín, Colombia won 1-0 with a score from Ernesto Díaz and would repeat the dose against Paraguay on July 30, but at the Defensores del Chaco in Asunción, again with a goal from the Bogota striker.
The tricolor then beat Uruguay and fell in the final series, which went to an extra game, against Peru, in one of the best performances in its history in the Copa América.
In 1987, in Argentina, the great protagonist was Arnoldo Iguarán, who scored the three goals in the 3-0 win over Paraguay at the Rosario Central stadium. That Colombian team, led by Francisco Maturana, finished third in the tournament after beating Argentina 2-1, which had been world champions a year earlier.
Two years later, in Brazil, Paraguay gained revenge and won 1-0 in the group stage with a solitary goal from Alfredo “Coco” Mendoza.
The quarterfinals were held again in 1995, in Uruguay. The duel for passage to the semifinal ended 1-1, with goals from Juan Villamayoy and Freddy Rincón. In the penalty shootout, the Guarani won 5-4 at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo.
The Paraguayan victory over Colombia in the 2007 Copa América
The 2007 Copa América in Venezuela is not a pleasant memory for Colombia, then led by Jorge Luis Pinto. In their debut, in Maracaibo, they lost 5-0 to Paraguay, who scored three goals through Roque Santa Cruz and two from Salvador Cabañas. The tricolor then lost 4-2 to Argentina and then beat the United States 1-0.
In the Centennial Cup, in the United States 2016, Colombia won 2-1 in Pasadena, thanks to goals from Carlos Bacca and James Rodríguez. For Paraguay, Víctor Ayala discounted. The most recent clash was in Salvador, Brazil, in 2019, when the tricolor won with a score from Gustavo Cuéllar, 31 minutes into the game.
In total, Colombia and Paraguay have played 11 times in the Copa América, with five Guaraní wins and five coffee wins, as well as a draw. The tricolor scored 11 goals and conceded 16. This Monday, in Houston, the balance could tip, hopefully in favor of Néstor Lorenzo’s team.
