Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni laments penalty decision in 2-1 loss to Colombia
James Rodriguez's 60th-minute winner from the penalty spot ended Argentina's 12-game winning run in all competitions. The referee pointed to the spot after VAR intervention.
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FollowArgentina saw their 12-game winning run come to an end on Tuesday (local time) after losing 2-1 against Colombia in the FIFA World Cup qualifier at Estadio Metropolitano. Despite the defeat, La Albiceleste are sitting at the summit of the standings, having collected 18 points from eight matches, four clear of the chasing pack.
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Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni spoke to the media after the match and here's what he had to say: “If I speak, they’ll say we don’t know how to lose. We congratulate Colombia. I think we played a good game, according to the circumstances. We gave our best at all times and we could have even won it.
Argentina had defeated Colombia 1-0 to lift their second successive Copa America title earlier this year in USA. Los Cafeteros are one of the most improved South America team in the last couple of years, having lost only one of their last 31 games in all competitions.
“We don’t like to lose. After the penalty, we practically didn’t play. That’s what bothered me, that’s what I saw. Colombia has great players and a well-oiled system. It is extremely complex to play against them here. I think we had the chances to win it but we couldn’t do it.
“We always try to move behind the ball and be effective in the final meters, which we couldn’t do today. We have to correct the things we need to improve”.
Yerson Mosquera's 25th-minute opener was canceled out by Nicolas Gonzalez early in the second-half. At 1-1, the controversial moment occurred as Argentina defender Nicolas Otamendi's tackled Daniel Munoz inside the box and though the referee allowed the game to continue, VAR intervened, eventually awarding penalty to Colombia. James Rodriguez stepped and smashed the ball into the roof of the net from, making the score 2-1 in favour of the hosts.
“The first image the referee should have seen was not the one where it ‘looks’ like he touched him, but he should have seen the whole play from the beginning. That conditions him.”
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