The Colombian National Team is ready to face Paraguay in its debut in the Copa América held in the United States. The meeting, scheduled for 5:00 pm, marks the beginning of a tournament to which the Tricolor arrives with the label of candidate. This initial confrontation raises certain questions about the team’s ability to recover in the event of a defeat, as Spain did in the 2010 World Cup and Argentina in the 2022 World Cup, or if they will succumb as happened with the generation of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. and that of the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
Colombia has managed to maintain an impressive streak of 23 games without losing, 20 of these under the leadership of Néstor Lorenzo. This streak is a reminder that, around the world, several teams have taken advantage of similar undefeated performances to achieve great things. Argentina, for example, arrived at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on an undefeated streak since 2019, having last lost in the semifinals of that year’s Copa América against Brazil. The Albiceleste went 36 games unbeaten before losing surprisingly to Saudi Arabia in their World Cup debut, only to recover and eventually win the title.
The history of football is full of teams that have been able to capitalize on undefeated periods to become champions. France, after failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, began an impressive streak of 30 games without losing, culminating in the 1998 World Cup victory with a young Zinedine Zidane leading the team.
In Africa, Ghana took advantage of a 30-game unbeaten streak to win the African Cup of Nations in 1965. Italy, before World War II, became champions of the 1934 and 1938 World Cups, going 30 games unbeaten during that period. Morocco also had a notable 31-game unbeaten streak, which ended in 2022 during the African Cup of Nations.
Spain, in the 2010 World Cup, despite losing its first match against Switzerland, showed formidable character to recover and win its only world title.
The history of confrontations between Colombia and Paraguay slightly favors the coffee growers. In a total of 49 matches, Colombia has won 22 times, drawn 9 times and lost 18 times. In the Copa América, the confrontation is more balanced, with both teams having won 5 games each and drawn once. The last official meeting between both teams took place in November of last year, when Colombia won 1-0 in Asunción thanks to a penalty goal converted by Rafael Santos Borré.
Néstor Lorenzo, aware of expectations and favoritism, has called for caution and continuous improvement: “We have many things to improve, we are still not like the candidates, favorites, or at the level of the countries that always won the Copa América. We want to be in that group, we have to go game by game, improving, correcting and growing.” These statements came after the friendlies in which Colombia beat the United States (5-1) and Bolivia (3-0).
For his part, Daniel Garnero, coach of Paraguay, has also expressed his focus and preparation: “We are preparing to compete. We are in training and looking to consolidate the team. “We have very good footballers, who are going through a good time and that is what excites and calms me.” Regarding Colombia’s favoritism, Garnero commented: “We are no more or less than anyone… we had a difficult group in the Copa América.”
The result of the first match will be crucial to define whether Colombia can handle the pressure of favoritism and continue its path to the final without the undefeated team becoming a burden. Expectations are high, and fans hope to see a National Team that not only maintains its streak, but also shows that it is ready to compete at the highest level and seek glory in the Copa América, as it did 23 years ago when it won his only title in the competition.
Data sheet
Event: Copa América, date 1 Group D
Stadium: NRG Stadium
Referee: Darío Herrera (Argentina)
Hour: 5:00 pm
Television: Caracol and RCN
Colombia: Camilo Vargas; Daniel Muñoz, Dávinson Sánchez, Jhon Lucumí, Johan Mojica; Matheus Uribe, Jefferson Lerma; Jhon Arias, James Rodríguez, Luis Díaz and Rafael Santos Borré.
Technical: Nestor Lorenzo
Paraguay: Rodrigo Morínigo; Iván Ramírez, Fabián Balbuena, Omar Alderete and Matías Espinoza; Andrés Cubas and Mathías Villasanti; Matías Rojas, Miguel Almirón and Ramón Sosa; Alex Arce.
Technical: Daniel Garnero
