Colombia beat Venezuela 1-0 to kickstart their campaign for the 2026 World Cup at the Roberto Meléndez Metropolitan Football Stadium.
Colombian got a winning start in the first round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with Rafael Santos’ header goal in the second half, thus earning a 1-0 win against Venezuela late Thursday night.
The venezuelan team displayed fighting spirit but Colombia, with some adjustments to their lineup, managed to prevail, with standout performances from players like Luis Sinisterra, Wilmar Barrios, Rómulo Otero, and James Rodríguez, who secured the victory for the ‘cafetero’ team.
A 20th second goal after the break was enough for Colombia to seal the victory over Venezuela and get their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign off to a positive start.
The home side had the lion’s share of the ball for the entire game, with Venezuela’s plan of action to catch them on the counter. The plan almost worked in the first half, a cheap giveaway allowed a cross from the right to be met by Herrera, but he sent his effort just wide of the goal.
The two teams went into the half-time break level but it took just seconds for the team in yellow to break the deadlock.
A sleepy Venezuela gave Arias too much time and allowed him to float a ball into the box for Borré to head past Romo.
From then on, it was game management for Colombia, who continued to create chances, but ultimately Borré’s headed effort was all that was needed against a stubborn opponent.