Colombia was considered a candidate to win this summer’s Copa America and was put on the scene against Paraguay. Colombia showed quality occasionally, enough to grab the three points. However, Paraguay found weaknesses and became a bigger problem than one initially imagined. 

Goalscorers: 

Colombia: Daniel Muñoz 32′, Jefferson Lerma 42′

Paraguay: Julio Enciso 69′

Colombia presents itself with an unusual formation. At times, it was a 4-3-3, with James playing on the right, Lerman as the pivot, and Arias and Rios as side midfielders. Inevitably, James dropped in the middle as the attacking midfielder he is, and Borre will occupy James’ position.

Jhon Arias, a right winger, will play on the left just behind Lucho Díaz. This will force Almiron to stay in position and not attack too much because of the marking of the two wingers.  Daniel Muñoz will have the entire right flank for himself on the other side because James will rarely be there. While this will make their left side dangerous, it exposes their right side, where Julio Enciso was the most dangerous player for Paraguay. 

However, the game was even. Colombia would have the ball, but they did not generate many chances. Of course, their quality is undeniable and showed it—Díaz’s dribbling, James’ passing, etc.

I think having too many players at the front short-circuits Colombia’s attack. They forced Paraguay to play on a low block and made it difficult to find spaces as most of their players were on the same side; they collided with one another. At the same time, Paraguay focuses too much on the left side and often neglects the right side. The pass of James to Muñoz was a great example of how Paraguay did not defend well their far post. The second goal was a bit similar, this time benign a free-kick. Going two down just in the 42nd minute of the first half seems too much punishment for Paraguay, considering that Colombia was far from scoring in open play. 

Although Paraguay focused on defending in the first half, the dynamic changed a bit in the second. 

Paraguay’s pressure was a little higher. Ramón Sosa came in the 59th minute to play in the right, and Enciso changed sides; they understood each other and threatened Colombia’s back line. Colombia relaxed a bit, something both the USA and Uruguay did in their respective debuts too. Paraguay demonstrated they also have quality. They tried long shots, had more possession, and attacked Colombia’s right side. Enciso dibbled past Muñoz, who had no help, and crossed to find 3 Paraguayan players unmarked. 1-2, and the game was on. After that, the game just broke out. It became a transition game where each team had their opportunities.

Colombia could be considered fortunate not to concede a second goal. Jhon Lucumí’s injury allowed Yerry Mina to play, but he generated some doubts in defense.

Richard Ríos and Jefferson Lerma were incredible. Lerma was the defensive midfielder who helped any player and created 2v1 or 2v2 scenarios. And Ríos was fantastic. He defended, attacked, built, destroyed, and was a complete midfielder overall. This is where Colombia won the game. Paraguay was sometimes too direct, skipping their midfield to force any chances. In contrast, Colombia use it to control the game’s tempo.

What’s next?
Colombia will try to continue their good form against Costa Rica next Friday and qualify for the quarter-finals before facing Brazil.

Paraguay will play all the odds to qualify as they face Brazil.