One step away from glory: Colombian team 90 minutes away from winning Copa América
With an inspired James Rodriguez, a luxury, undefeated team and the winning strategy of Professor Néstor Lorenzo, our Colombian team is fighting to conquer the Copa América again. Against Messi’s Argentina, there is no shortage of challenges. But, guys, “we are with you!”
“You don’t change a winning team,” is often said in football circles. However, Colombian coach Néstor Lorenzo seems to think otherwise. Although he is undefeated to date, he has only repeated the same formation twice: against Germany in a friendly and against Venezuela in the qualifiers, and in the Copa América, against Costa Rica and Uruguay.
His team is adaptable to any opponent, with a well-defined playing philosophy: never let yourself be intimidated and play dynamic football. In 28 games, 25 of which were under his direction, Lorenzo has collected 19 wins and 7 draws.
“The evolution of the team is palpable. Sometimes we lack something in defense or attack, but all this is built match by match. Nothing is ever the same, every opponent is different. We have grown, but we continue to learn and improve our game,” Lorenzo said in a press conference.
To achieve an efficiency of 84%, the Argentine coach has built a solid backbone, on which all the footballing memory of the team rests. His first match as coach was against Guatemala, with goals from James Rodríguez, Luis Sinisterra, Rafael Santos Borré and Yaser Asprilla.
Team captain James Rodriguez leads the charge to lift the trophy in Miami. Unfortunately, Daniel Muñoz will be watching from the stands. The team relies on the skills of James, the safety of Camilo Vargas, the versatility of Daniel Muñoz, the toughness of Jhon Jáner Lucumí, the order of Jefferson Lerma, the speed of Luis Díaz, the dynamism of Jhon Arias and the sacrifice of Rafael Santos Borré.
Colombia has overcome the problem that led to its elimination from the World Cup in Qatar: seven games without scoring. Since then, 50 goals have been scored under Lorenzo, while only 16 have been conceded. The team does not rely on a single scorer: the goals are distributed among defenders, midfielders and forwards.
“This team wants to be a protagonist, it is hungry for victories and it is in constant training. Progress comes from overcoming difficulties. We are moving forward, and we are doing well,” Lorenzo stressed.
Colombia arrived at the Copa America as favourites, having finished third in the qualifiers, just behind Argentina and Uruguay. The Colombian national team has become a united family, with James as the undisputed leader.
The victory against Paraguay demonstrated the team’s resilience. Despite the injury of Jhon Lucumí, replaced by Yerry Mina, the team overcame this difficulty and won thanks to goals from Daniel Muñoz and Jefferson Lerma.
In the quarter-finals, against Costa Rica, Lorenzo had to deal with two major absences, but the team triumphed 3-0 thanks to goals from Luis Díaz, Dávinson Sánchez and Jhon Córdoba. The match against Brazil was particularly difficult, but the team held on and secured their place in the semi-finals against Panama, whom they beat 5-0.
The semi-final against Uruguay, a formidable opponent, was the biggest challenge. Despite Daniel Muñoz being sent off, the team held on and won thanks to a goal from Lerma. Colombia qualified for the Copa América final after a 23-year absence.
To face Argentina, it will be enough to remember the path traveled. With a leader like Néstor Lorenzo, who knew how to get the best out of each player, this team is ready to win the title. Experts point out that Colombia must maintain its aggressive and dynamic style of play to destabilize Argentina.
The match against Argentina will not be easy, but this Colombian team has already proven that it is ready to overcome all obstacles. With the support of an entire country, the eleven gladiators on the field are ready to write a new page in the history of Colombian football.
Similar articles
