Copa America 2019: Argentina 0-2 Colombia - 3 talking points
Group B of the 2019 Copa America witnessed its first match, as Argentina and Colombia battled it out, with the latter taking home their first victory over their neighbors since 2007.
Given the strength and pedigree of both nations, this was one of the most anticipated matches of the group stage. It can ostensibly be implied that the two teams would occupy the top two positions in the group (with all due respect to Qatar and Paraguay).
Although the match got off to a rather slow start, the second half exploded into action, with tenacious displays and lots of goalmouth action. In this piece, we shall be highlighting three talking points from the highly entertaining fixture at the Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador.
#3 Same old Argentina, just a different year
This fixture represented Argentina's first competitive clash since their woeful elimination by France at the round-of-16 of the World Cup in July last year.
However, despite all their verve, heart and tenacity, the Argentines were sorely lacking in cutting edge which has been an all-too-familiar story in recent years. They huffed and puffed for the entirety of the 90 minutes in vain, with their efforts yielding nothing as Colombia ran out with all three points and a clean sheet to boot.
This match offered an opportunity for the Albiceleste players to stand up, be counted on the international stage, and make up for the bitter disappointments of recent years, but that failed to happen.
A frequent criticism leveled at the Argentine team is that they generally tend to underperform when it matters most and all of their shortcomings in recent years were on full display in the match against Colombia.
There was a sense of urgency in their players, but they were lacking a clear-cut direction to their play while they were also devoid of coordination and this showed in defensive lapses which ultimately cost them in the match.
The Argentine squad on display on the night was a new-look one, but in scenes surreally deja vu-like, they showed signs of the failings which had plagued their forebears in times past. On the evidence of their performance against Colombia, it seems as though Argentina's 28-year wait for international glory would go on.