Analysis of Colombia’s victory in the Copa América: man by man, this is how it went for the Colombian National Team

Jefferson Lerma (cent.), one of the afternoon’s scorers, celebrates his goal with Colombia.

Photo: Getty Images via AFP – LOGAN RIELY

Colombia debuted with victory in the 2024 Copa América, which takes place in the United States and in which the national team started as one of the favorites for the title.

The national team defeated Paraguay 2-1 and he started his way in the tournament on the right foot. The tricolor could not develop its best game against a brave Guaraní team. However, the national team played a very complicated game and, with hierarchy, managed to impose its conditions.

“It was not a perfect match and we did not dominate all the time and that is something that is going to happen in this Cup. Fortunately, it ended 2-1. These games are not easy, they are very hard. “Paraguay is a great team, they opened up in the first half, the second half was more even, but we were justly deserving of the victory,” explained Néstor Lorenzo.

Although the highlight of the national team, key in the Lorenzo era, was the group’s choral performance, there were some individualities that must be rescued, as they cemented Colombia’s victory and They gave him the first three points, which have him as the leader of group D.

Man for man: this is how Colombia fared in its Copa América debut

Camilo Vargas: The goalkeeper of the Colombian team always responds. Against Paraguay, although it was not very demanding, Camilo Vargas had three stops that were fundamental to ensure the victory. The Mexican soccer goalkeeper is a guarantee in the goal of the national team and continues to demonstrate why Néstor Lorenzo has given him the confidence to be a starter.
Daniel Muñoz: The right back of the national team is becoming one of the team’s regular scorers. In a play similar to the one seen recently against Spain, the Antioqueño burst into the area from the right sector to finish with a header and open the scoring. It was not the best game for Daniel Muñoz on defense, but on offense his performance was outstanding.

Jhon Lucumi: Until his injury, the center back had been a guarantee for the team. However, his physical discomfort forced him to leave before half an hour of play. Néstor Lorenzo said that, preliminarily, it does not seem like something serious, which would be important, since Lucumí is one of the banners of the Argentine strategist’s defense.
Dávinson Sánchez: Discreet match for the Galatasaray center back. Somewhat compromised in Paraguay’s goal, Dávinson Sánchez did his job in a large part of the commitment. He did not have a brilliant game nor was he one of the most outstanding, but he did not make things easy for the Paraguayan forwards.

Johan Mojica: The left back was one of the weakest points of the team, with little projection in attack and, at times, disorganized in defense. The match, overall, was not good for the Spanish soccer player. He had been playing good games that earned him the position, but now he could be one of the chips to be modified by Néstor Lorenzo, who defended him from criticism: “Mojica played a great game. The ball slowed down too much and when there is little space and the pressure is well done, speed and precision is essential and we lacked that. When he came out, he came out cute. “They said the ball was stopping.”
Jefferson Lerma: The midfielder continues to show that he is one of Néstor Lorenzo’s regulars in the national team. The Crystal Palace player not only scored Colombia’s second goal, he also managed the tricolor’s timing and took control of the midfield. With his departure in the second half, due to apparent physical problems, the team was disorganized for a few minutes, demonstrating the weight and importance of the English soccer player in the Colombian team.

Richard Rios: He was one of the best players in the game. Powerful, physical and, at the same time, with good ball handling and demonstrating a lot of technique, Richard Ríos was a success in Néstor Lorenzo’s starter. Did you earn his place in the 11? From what the coach has said, he will depend on the rival and the game that the team proposes. However, his match against Paraguay impressed.
James Rodriguez: once again, he was the great figure of the team. She pulled the strings, dictated the timing of the attack and orchestrated Colombia’s offensive phase. In addition, he gave two assists for the goal that gave the team the victory. His work, as if that were not enough, was not only in attack; James Rodríguez ran like one more, contributed to the pressure and defended on the block. Leader and captain, the São Paulo player from Brazil showed that he is irreplaceable.

John Arias: It was a difficult game against a rival that left little space, and Jhon Arias did not have much space to shine. The Brazilian footballer’s game was poor in attack, although his work in defense always shows great sacrifice and team spirit.
Luis Diaz: The same thing happened to Arias, she had little space in the band. However, with the little he had he made some brilliant plays. Facing the goal, he also had no luck. He must improve his definition, because he doesn’t usually take advantage of the ones he has. “The ideal thing for Lucho is to leave him one-on-one with the rival, but they doubled him. He made good plays and, even though he didn’t end in a goal, he is fine. You have to leave Luis Díaz, enjoy it and the goal will be given to him,” said Néstor Lorenzo about the performance of the Liverpool player.

Rafael Santos Borré: It shines little and does not usually take on the reflectors. However, and although he did not have many options, the work of the Brazilian soccer forward was very good in his defensive contribution. Key in the pressure and running almost the entire court, once again Borré made it clear why he is one of Lorenzo’s favorites.

How did the changes go?

Yerry Mina: He had to come in to replace Jhon Lucumí and, broadly speaking, he did not do badly. He was responsible for the goal against and seemed, at times, disorganized, poorly coordinated with the other defenders, erratic in releasing the ball and out of rhythm. It was one of the team’s lowest points.
Matheus Uribe: He did not have much time on the court, but he organized the team in the last minutes when Paraguay began to intensify its attempts on attack.
Jhon Córdoba: He didn’t have many minutes either and his work, more than offensive, was focused on defending the opponent’s long balls and keeping the defenders at bay.
Juan Fernando Quintero: He played just a few minutes. When he touched the ball, the stadium applauded.
Kevin Castaño: He contributed in the last minutes to organize the middle block, which became disorganized after Lerma’s departure.