3 reasons why Argentina lost 0-2 to Colombia | Copa America 2019
It was a familiar sight once again at the Itaipava Fonte Nova Arena as calamitous defending and the failure of big guns in the Argentinian side resulted in a 2-0 loss for Albiceleste at the hands of Colombia in their first group B encounter.
A defeat was always on the cards for the Latin American giants after the Colombians exposed their defense on many occasion but failed to capitalize on their chances.
Playing in their first major competition since their exit in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Argentina have failed to find a solution and have carried the same problems to the Copa America.
Therefore, we look at the three reasons that led to their demoralizing defeat against Colombia.
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#3 Defensive frailties exposed once again
The Albiceleste were not helped by poor team selection in the central defensive department, as Lionel Scaloni opted for Nicolas Otamendi and German Pezzella at the heart of defense in their crucial match despite knowing that the duo had never started a match together.
The Colombian attack gave the sluggish back line a torrid time as goal scorer Roger Martinez ran past the Argentine defense, time and time again. Following that, Argentina illustrated their self exploding behavior when an unnecessary pass between Franco Armani and Nicolas Otamendi almost let James Rodriguez score. The Bayern Munich star, however, failed to get a shot away before Argentina scrambled the ball out in the 30th minute.
The inexperienced defense failed to cope up with the pace and strength of the Colombians but somehow managed to keep them quiet until the 70th minute. Nonetheless, everyone inside the Fonte Nova Arena knew it was just a matter of time until the Argentine defense was breached.