Colombia came close to a valuable draw in Brasilia, but, once again, Néstor Lorenzo's team failed to sustain the pressure in the final minutes and ended up losing 2-1 against Brazil on matchday 13 of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. After a complicated first half, in which the Colombian team saw how Brazil quickly took the lead, a great goal by Luis Díaz gave them hope, but a mistake at the end of the game left the team without points.
A First Half Dominated By Brazil
The start of the match was clear as to who controlled the action. The Brazilian team, with an attacking trident that included Raphinha, Vinicius and Rodrygo, put the Colombian defense in trouble from the first minute. The pressure was constant, and the home side took advantage of their fast pace to create dangerous chances.
The first blow came early, after just three minutes, when Vinicius was brought down by Daniel Muñoz inside the area, resulting in a penalty kick in favor of Brazil. Raphinha was in charge of taking it and he did it calmly, deceiving goalkeeper Camilo Vargas to put Brazil 1-0 up.
Colombia could not get hold of the ball and spent too much time defending. However, as the minutes progressed, they managed to balance the actions a little. Although they did not generate many clear chances, they began to steal balls in midfield and approach Alisson's area.
Lucho Diaz Ties With A Beautiful Goal
Colombia's reward came in the 40th minute when, after a brilliant play by Santiago Arias, Luis Diaz took advantage of a pass from James Rodriguez and broke down the left to fire a fierce shot past Alisson. The goal by the Colombian winger brought some breathing space to the Colombian national team, which had had a difficult start.
With the draw, Colombia gained confidence and, although it did not create many dangerous plays, the defensive solidity in the last minutes of the first half was more noticeable. It seemed that Lorenzo's team had recovered from a bad start and that the draw was fair. However, the second half would bring new challenges.
Colombia Loses Concentration at the End
The second half started with a more assertive and confident Colombia. The Colombians were able to put better pressure on Brazil, who no longer showed the same offensive fluency as in the first half. Despite their efforts, the Colombian team failed to take advantage of some opportunities to take the lead, including a counterattacking play led by Luis Diaz.
In the 70th minute, the match was stopped for a serious scare. Dávinson Sánchez suffered a head-to-head collision with Alisson, which left both players lying on the field. Fortunately, neither suffered serious injuries, but the incident left a pause that favored Brazil. During the break, Brazil's tactical changes freshened up their attack, while Colombia was slow to make changes.
Lorenzo's lack of quick adjustments was noticeable, and Colombia began to lose intensity. Meanwhile, Brazil, with more successful substitutions, looked more dangerous in the final minutes.
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Vinicius' Goal And The Agony Of The Missed Tie
In the last minutes of the match, Brazil took advantage of a Colombian mistake to score the winning goal. Vinicius, who had been one of the most outstanding players, shot at the edge of the area and, although his shot was deflected by Jefferson Lerma, the ball ended up in the back of the net. At that point, Colombia had no time to react.
The late goal was a devastating blow for the Colombians, who already had the tie in the bag. The lack of quick reaction in the changes and a fatal blink of an eye in defense cost them the three points. This was the third consecutive defeat for Colombia, which has not managed to string together victories in the last few rounds of the qualifiers.
With the result, Brazil takes a crucial victory, while Colombia is left empty-handed, regretting once again the mistakes made at key moments of the match.
