Nunez’s late penalty for Uruguay prevents a tie with Colombia.
ten people Colombia and Uruguay fought their way to a 2-2 tie in the World Cup qualifying match, thanks to a late penalty kick from Darwin Nunez.
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According to Marcelo Bielsa, James Rodrigez’s shot off a cross from Rafael Santos Borre in the 35th minute put Uruguay down in the first half. But just after the break, Mathias Olivera’s header from a corner gave them an equalizer.
Five minutes later, Colombia took the lead again thanks to a goal from Mateus Uribe off another Borre feed. However, they were denied the victory in the 87th minute when goalie Camilo Vargas was sent off for a second yellow card following a foul on Maximiliano Araujo, which resulted in a penalty.
Alvaro Montero, who replaced Vargas in goal, failed to stop Nunez’s penalty attempt after winger Jhon Arias was sacrificed.
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Uruguay and Colombia are ranked third and fourth in the CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifying rankings. Later on Thursday, Bolivia plays Ecuador, Argentina hosts Paraguay, Chile plays Peru, and Brazil plays Venezuela.
Luis Díaz Expresses Disappointment for Failing to Secure All 3 Points
The Liverpool winger analyzed the National Team’s performance against Uruguay. He expressed his disappointment at not being able to win at home.
At the Metropolitano Stadium on Thursday, Luis Díaz’s performance with the Colombian national team against Uruguay wasn’t at its best. The Guajiro winger attempted to get wide but was well-marked by the “celeste” defense. When he did manage to go free, he was not accurate enough in front of Santiago Mele’s goal.
Following the 2-2 draw between the national team and the “charrúa” team at Barranquilla’s Metropolitano Stadium, number 7 of the team talked in the mixed zone using Gol Caracol microphones. The Liverpool striker bemoaned the lost opportunities and expressed his dissatisfaction at not winning all three points at home from the off.
Díaz Marulanda assessed the situation right away: “Like everyone else, we couldn’t finish the game, and that’s where the mistake was made, and we couldn’t take all three points.” Some social media users had chastised him for his lackluster performance.
Luis Díaz then discussed the team effort of the “tricolor” against Uruguay, which he felt was something to be proud of following the 2-2 tie at the “Metro” in the South American Qualifiers’ third round.
We advanced twice, so I’m grateful for the effort and mindset we brought to the table, always striving for the best outcome. While gaining points is crucial, we must continue to advance. Everyone must understand that they are capable of far more, and that both the coach’s and our plans are effective,” he continued.
Luis Díaz concluded by talking about the Uruguayan team’s wasted scoring chance in the second half, which would have given Colombia a 3-1 lead over Marcelo Bielsa’s group.
“I attempted to do the same move, opening my foot; it bounces a little and strikes the shin. I believe we would have won the game if we had scored that goal and converted other opportunities. These are silly blunders that we have to stay away from since they might be costly. Luis Díaz said, “The goal we let up in the last minute was a concentration error that shouldn’t have happened.
Regarding Luis Díaz’s performance against Uruguay, what did Néstor Lorenzo have to say? “We must hold out for him. Luis Díaz dedicates his entire being to the Colombian national team, heart and spirit. Although he was unlucky not to score, these things do happen. He will undoubtedly score goals for the national team soon, according to the Colombian national team coach, who made this announcement at a news conference.
Fathy lone goal hands Egypt victory against Zambia in friendly
In an international friendly played on Thursday night at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Egypt defeated Zambia 1-0 courtesy to a goal in the final seconds by Hamdi Fathy.
This game will provide as a taste of the kind of challenging test that the Pharaohs and Chipolopolo will encounter in the upcoming months as they get ready for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations and the start of the 2026 World Cup qualification process (in November).
In the third minute, Mohamed Salah almost scored, while in the twenty-fiveth, Francis Mwansa of Zambia had to make a save to deny a header from Fathy. Early on, Egypt exerted pressure.
Fashion Sakala attempted a shot on goal in the eighteenth minute after slipping past Egypt’s goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, but El Shenawy made an incredible save. This was Zambia’s first opportunity to win.
After Egypt regained control, the Southern Africans enjoyed a brief period of possession, capped with a shot by Emmanuel Banda that flashed just wide, before Mostafa Mohamed headed a cross just wide of the goal at the halfway point.
Despite dominating the remainder of the first half, the Pharaohs were without a goal at the break.
At the beginning of the second half, Egypt decided to switch to an attacking formation, benching holding midfielder Mohamed Elneny in favor of the more combative Zizo. The player for Zamalek had a great opportunity to score.
In the 55th minute, Trezeguet was in danger of equalizing for Egypt when Salah’s lobbed cross struck his head, but Trezeguet’s shot cleared the crossbar and went out of play.
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Before substitute Marwan Attia missed the net with the Pharaohs’ next good opportunity in the 83rd minute, the game appeared to be destined for a scoreless draw.
After a wonderful cross from Zizo, Fathy scored from close range four minutes into injury time, giving the North African heavyweights a well-earned victory.
Egypt will play a friendly match against Algeria on Monday in Abu Dhabi. The next game Zambia plays is in Sharjah, against Uganda.