Argentina vs. Colombia result: Lautaro Martinez extends Argentina unbeaten streak to 29 with goal in 1-0 win

Kyle Bonn

Argentina vs. Colombia result: Lautaro Martinez extends Argentina unbeaten streak to 29 with goal in 1-0 win image

The two teams came into the match in Cordoba trending in opposite directions, and after 90 minutes of play, they continued on those trajectories as a Lautaro Martinez goal sent Argentina home with a 1-0 win over Colombia.

The visitors came into the match desperately needing a result, and while they emptied the tank keeping Argentina from totally pummeling Camilo Vargas's net, Los Cafeteros were overwhelmed for most of the match. The first half was especially dominant from Argentina, with Angel Di Maria playing the Lionel Messi role.

Messi's PSG teammate was the best player on the pitch, pulling the strings and coming close to scoring on a couple of occasions.

MORE: Updated CONMEBOL qualifying standings & schedule

For Colombia, the situation is now extremely dire. It sits seventh in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying table, three points out of fifth place, which will reward a team with a spot in an intercontinental playoff to be played in June.

More worrisome is that Colombia is stuck in a debilitating 646-minute goalless streak that has crippled its chances of reaching the 2022 World Cup. It was another listless performance, and while Colombia improved as the second half wore on, the Cafeteros had just one solid chance in front of net, and Emiliano 'Dibu' Martinez squashed any hopes of breaking the duck.

Argentina vs. Colombia final score

  1H 2H Final
Argentina 1 0 1
Colombia 0 0 0

Goals:
29th min. — ARG — Lautaro Martinez

(All times Eastern)

Final: Argentina 1, Colombia 0

Argentina proved its dominance with a comprehensive victory, and needing just Lautaro Martinez's first-half goal to see it out. While the hosts will wish they had created more clear-cut chances, they finish the 90 minutes with their 29th straight match without a loss, the longest active streak in the world.

Colombia's horrid run continues, now up to 646 minutes without a World Cup qualifying goal. It was always an uphill battle for the visitors in Cordoba, but still, given the results around the continent, it's a devastating loss. Los Cafeteros now sit three points back of the intercontinental playoff spot (fifth place) with just two matches remaining in March. Uruguay, Chile, and Peru will battle it out for the final two spots, while Colombia sits in seventh with just a prayer. They have matches remaining against two teams below them in the standings, which is a boost, but Colombia will need a lot of help from elsewhere to qualify.

94th min.: Chance, Argentina! Paulo Dybala is completely devoid of confidence. He's fed in beautifully by Gonzalez on the break, but trots to the ball instead of charging onto it, and it's cleared by Colombia. That's an enormous miss to finish off the match. Dybala just looks off the pace.

92nd min.: Emiliano Martinez has a massive smile on his face, and has a laugh, as Argentina is saved from an incredibly embarrassing moment by the offside flag. Nicolas Gonzalez tried to clear the ball in the goal mouth, and ended up hitting it straight into the crossbar. It came straight down and Martinez somehow snatched the ball before it bounced over the line. Three Colombia players were miles offside though, so it doesn't matter.

87th min.: Argentina comes close on a corner that reaches the head of Quarta. Both teams have been very good from set pieces. 

Davinson Sanchez, who has been a bulldozer all second half, finally gets his yellow card for barreling over Buendia, his fourth foul of the match.

84th min.: The fact that Colombia is just a goal down here will give them hope despite how this game has progressed. Maxi Meza makes a fabulous sliding tackle to deny a cross from the left, and the ensuing corner goes close off the head of Tesillo, looping wide of the far post.

80th min.: Time for Emiliano Buendia to get a chance, replacing Lo Celso, who gets a big hand. The broadcast names Angel Di Maria as Man of the Match. It's Buendia's debut for the senior side.

Davinson Sanchez absolutely pulverizes Gonzalez on the very edge of the penalty area, producing a dangerous free-kick for Argentina. Surprising the card wasn't shown: That was a very hard foul by a defender who was beaten by his man. Meza's set-piece goes into the wall and out for a corner. Dybala with another good corner, to the head of new substitute Lucas Quarta, but his header doesn't make it through the trees.

74th min.: Nice little one-two for Argentina works a shot for Acuna that's deflected out for a corner. Dybala's delivery is a great one, and Colombia clears only as far as Lo Celso who rips a volley, but it tails wide left. Lo Celso has had a fabulous match. He's not given Tottenham this kind of performance his entire Spurs career.

Colombia, meanwhile, has gone past 10.5 hours without a World Cup qualifying goal. Falcao comes on trying to change that, replacing Borja, while Cuellar takes off Barrios. Suarez booked.

67th min.: The stadium in Cordoba gives a roar as Angel Di Maria comes off, replaced by Paulo Dybala. German Pezzella takes the armband with Di Maria coming off. Nicolas Gonzalez comes on for Lautaro Martinez as well, as Scaloni switches up the attack to get a look at a new group.

Colombia makes another substitution with Diego Valoyes coming on for John Medina at right back. Cuadrado's done most of the work down that flank so far.

65th min.: Chance, Argentina! For the second time in the match, out of nothing, Di Maria comes very, very close. With the ball at the top of the box and nearly standing still, nobody closes him down, so he has a go, and it forces a stellar diving save from Colombian 'keeper Camilo Vargas.

63rd min.: Argentina not asserting nearly the dominance it did in the first half. Colombia looks reinvigorated. Argentina coughs it up on a poor 2-v-2 transition opportunity that sees Di Maria and Lautaro fail to link up. Lautaro says "my bad."

57th min.: Argentina appears to be preparing the game's first substitute, but Colombia strikes first. James Rodriguez comes off after losing possession a whopping 11 times in less than an hour, with just 20 completed passes. It's Luis Suarez (not that one) to come on in his place. Colombia also swaps Mateus Uribe for Victor Cantillo.

Argentina takes off Luis Ocampos, and much to Paulo Dybala's dismay, it's Maxi Meza to come on, making his first appearance since the 2018 World Cup. Montiel earns a yellow card for a foul on Mojica. Both he and Acuna (booked in the first half) have triggered suspensions for yellow card accumulation and will miss the next match, against Venezuela in March.

52nd min.: The visitors have come out of halftime with a renewed vigor. We'll see how long it lasts. Cuadrado has been heavily involved.

A Colombia corner comes to nothing, but it was a quality delivery into the area, landing right on the penalty spot before Argentina clears with an aerial header.

46th minute:  Back under way for the second half. No subs for Colombia, buoyed by that chance late in the first half. Here's video of Marcos Acuna giving his shirt to a fan as he heads into halftime, which is cool.

Halftime: Argentina 1, Colombia 0

After 45 minutes of dominance from Argentina, the hosts deservedly lead on Lautaro Martinez's goal. Still, there will be a very awkward feeling in the Argentinian locker room at the break.

For all the pressure Argentina produced — which was consistent and smothering — just the one-goal lead means one moment from Colombia could wreck things, and the visitors nearly did just that on the stroke of halftime. That will be a warning sign for Argentina, which has been fabulous defensively during this qualifying cycle, but it is missing a number of key regulars, including defenders Nicolas Otamendi and Nicolas Tagliafico.

45+1 min.: Chance, Colombia! WHAT A SAVE BY ARGENTINA'S HERO 'DIBU' MARTINEZ! Colombia was clean through after some shocking defending by Argentina, but Martinez confidently comes out to smother before Borja can get the shot off. Then, on the follow-up, Diaz has a slow-roller cleared off the line by Pezzella. Colombia won't get many of those, and that one was wasted. Borja has to do better with the initial effort, he was totally through.

Martinez reprising his role from the Copa America semifinals against Colombia.

44th min.: First yellow card of the match goes to Argentina's Marcos Acuna who wins the ball but went through Cuadrado to get it. It seems harsh, the contact was very minimal. If anything, just a foul. But because it was on a counter, the referee shows a caution.

38th min.: Argentina is blitzing the Colombia box again. Beautiful combination play down the right works a cross for a wide-open Montiel, but he blasts his delivery into a defender. Still, the hosts flood the box, and after some chaos Colombia clears. This is a one-sided affair at the moment, with 70 percent possession to Argentina, which sports a 92 percent pass success rate and five shots to Colombia's one.

33rd min.: Chance, Argentina!  It feels like things are on the verge of totally falling apart for Colombia. Davinson Sanchez steps in recklessly on Lo Celso outside the top of the penalty area, which results in a dangerous free-kick. Di Maria's effort is vicious, but it's too near the center of the goal, and Vargas produces a fabulous save.

29th min.: GOAL! Argentina! There's the deserved breakthrough. A cross from the left by Marcos Acuna goes over Colombian defender William Tesillo who got sucked forward, and that left Lautaro Martinez all by himself. His low finish wasn't terribly impressive, and Camilo Vargas even got a hand to it on the dive, but it still has enough power to find the back of the net.

Colombia just cannot keep the ball. Argentina is pressing very high and hard, and it's totally smothering Los Cafeteros. The visitors miss Yerry Mina, who is suspended for yellow card accumulation, bringing Tesillo into the starting lineup.

26th min.: A very nasty clash of heads with Lisandro Martinez has Miguel Borja down. The replay is hard to watch. The Colombian took by far the worst of that collison. He's up and walking slowly to the sidelines with medical staff. We'll see how that affects the visitors.

Borja comes back on soon after the restart.

22nd min.: Colombia has a very good opportunity on the break, and a wonderful Cuadrado layoff nearly works a shot through the middle, but Argentina tracks back extremely quickly to end the chance before the ball can be sent towards net. Excellent transition defense by the hosts.

16th min.: Chance, Argentina!  Oh, what a goal that would have been. A Colombia turnover on the Argentine right flank results in a quick-trigger shot from Di Maria, who puts his curler just wide. Beat the goalkeeper, beat the post. Very close. Vintage Di Maria on display today.

15th min.: Colombia finally has a sniff of the attacking third thanks to great work down the left by Miguel Borja, and his feed to Luis Diaz results in a shot from outside the top of the box that's deflected out for a Colombia corner. The set-piece comes to nothing. Promising, but to this point far too little to prove meaningful.

12th min.:  The hosts nearly pull off a very audacious move down the right, as Lo Celso fed a bonkers long ball over the top to Gonzalo Montiel, but his cross goes flying over the penalty area to nobody. Argentina is really turning the screw. It's not hard to see why Colombia has struggled this qualification cycle. It's not a tactical decision to play without the ball, they're clearly second-best.

9th min.: Argentina has seen a lot of the ball early, and looks energetic, but hasn't created much since the early Ocampos effort. 

6th min.: Di Maria is hacked on the right flank. He looks very lively early on. Then Luis Diaz is taken down for Colombia. Skills & fouls. Yep, it's CONMEBOL!

3rd min.: Argentina with plenty of early possession, and Lucas Ocampos rips the game's first shot miles over the bar. Good defending by Colombia as he cut in from the left, but can't get much room to settle the shot. Di Maria with some stunning skills to open up the chance, including a spin move to get free.

1st min.: And we're underway! Colombia needs a result in the worst way. There is zero pressure on Argentina, but form heading into the World Cup is important, and there is that 28-match unbeaten streak to protect.

6:28 p.m.: Argentina has a big fan watching from overseas!

6:02 p.m.: The Colombian media is...to put it mildly...pessimistic about the nation's World Cup chances.

Uruguay is currently leading Venezuela on a very early goal from new Spurs man Rodrigo Betancur, so things are looking even more bleak at the moment.

5:35 p.m.: Lineups are in. Biggest surprises: no David Ospina in goal for Colombia as he deals with a stomach bug, no Paulo Dybala for Argentina as he makes only the bench for the second straight match.

Dybala's career is starting to seriously lag. No form whatsoever, and it's affecting his standing at both Juventus and Argentina. He has played just 55 minutes for the national team since the end of 2019.

5:32 p.m.: Chile defeats Bolivia 3-2 to earn a critical three points and put even more pressure on Colombia, which now sits in seventh in the CONMEBOL table. Despite the result, Colombia would still push itself back into fifth with a shock win over Argentina.

5:30 p.m.: Argentina is still savoring its Copa America win from last summer ahead of a semifinal rematch.

5:25 p.m.: A nice message from Argentina urging supporters to be kind while attending the matches and supporting the team.

4:45 p.m.: Elsewhere in CONMEBOL, the pitch was a nightmare in Bolivia for their match against Chile, delaying kickoff. Look at all that water!

4:30 p.m.: Colombia is fighting hard for a World Cup place, but Los Cafeteros will also be on the prowl for revenge from the 2021 Copa America, when these two teams met in the semifinals, with Argentina winning in the penalty shootout. Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano 'Dibu' Martinez saved three out of five penalties in the shootout, a memorable moment in the tournament to push Argentina towards its eventual crown.

Argentina vs. Colombia lineups

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has the freedom to do as he pleases, with Argentina already qualified for the World Cup. Still, it expects to be a strong starting lineup in a rivalry match.

Scaloni himself returns to the bench after missing the last match due to COVID-19, and  Guido Rodriguez  also has recovered from his positive test. The likes of  Nicolas Tagliafico, Nicolas Otamendi, Rodrigo de Paul, and Leandro Paredes  are all suspended for yellow card accumulation, a big chunk of contributing players to work around. Also,  Lionel Messi  is not part of the roster for this international window due to his recent bout with COVID-19, allowing him rest with the national already secured a spot in the 2022 World Cup.

That means big changes to the starting lineup for Argentina from the 2-1 win over Chile on Thursday, including a likely rotation of the entire three-man midfield. With Paredes out, Rodriguez comes into midfield, while De Paul is replaced by Giovanni Lo Celso . Finally, Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez  was reportedly lacking fitness but makes the starting lineup anyways, while  Lucas Ocampos  starts along the front line replacing the misfiring Paulo Dybala . New Man City man  Julian Alvarez  is with Dybala among the substitutes.

At the back, Otamendi is set to be replaced by  German Pezzella  in central defense, with Tagliafico's spot filled by  Marcos Acuna .

Argentina starting lineup (4-3-3): Emiliano Martinez (GK) — Montiel, Pezzella, Lisandro Martinez, Acuna – Gomez, G. Rodriguez, Lo Celso – Ocampos, Lautaro Martinez, Di Maria.

Argentina subs (12):  Armani (GK), Andrada (GK), Molina, Quarta, N. Perez, Meza, Buendia, Correa, J. Alvarez, N. Gonzalez, Dybala.

The most surprising name on the teamsheet for Colombia was the inclusion of goalkeeper  Camillo Vargas , as  David Ospina misses out with an illness. Stars  James Rodriguez  and  Juan Cuadrado  are included, with the latter wearing the captain's armband and pushed up to winger from his usual left-back position.

Like Argentina, Colombia also has a suspension to worry about, with  Yerry Mina  out for yellow card accumulation, having already departed to rejoin Everton. That leaves  William Tesillo  to take his place at the back alongside  Davinson Sanchez

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New Liverpool man  Luis Diaz  retains his place on the left flank, while  Miguel Borja  comes into the side for Eintracht Frankfurt's  Rafael Borre  up top, meaning superstar Falcao  only makes the bench. Manager Reinaldo Rueda has stuck with Porto's  Mateus Uribe in midfield over the bench option of Brighton's  Steven Alzate.

Colombia starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Vargas (GK) — Mojica, Tesillo, D. Sanchez, Medina — Uriba, Barrios — Diaz, J. Rodriguez, Cuadrado – Borja.

Colombia subs (12):  Mosquera (GK), Munoz, Murillo, Hinestroza, Cuellar, Cantillo, Chara, Valayas, Preciado, Suarez, Barre, Falcao.

How to watch Argentina vs. Colombia

  • Date: Tuesday, Feb. 1
  • Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel:
  • Streaming: fuboTV

The South American World Cup qualifiers are available exclusively on fuboTV in the United States .

Argentina closes out qualifying with a home game against Venezuela (March 24) and a road trip to face Ecuador (March 29). The Colombian side will play two likely must-win matches at home against Bolivia (March 24) and away to what will be an already-eliminated Venezuela (March 29).

Argentina vs. Colombia betting lines, picks & prediction

Argentina has little to play for at this point, but that hasn't stopped Luis Scaloni from continuing to deploy a first-choice lineup to build chemistry in preparation for this winter's World Cup. In doing so, they've tormented the competition.

Chile's goal against Argentina in the 2-1 win for the Albiceleste was the first goal Argentina had allowed in 561 minutes of World Cup qualification action, all the way back to a meaningless late goal scored by Venezuela to cap a a 3-1 result back in early September. In the six-match clean sheet streak, which included a game against Brazil, Argentina conceded just 17 shots on target. Even without the first-choice defenders, this Argentina group defends extremely well with both possession and structure.

On the flip side, it is just the opposite: Colombia's finishing has been brutally bad. Los Cafeteros failed to find the back of the net amid a flurry of 30 shots against Peru last time out, putting just two on frame, the latest in a long line of misfires. Colombia now sits at a cataclysmic six World Cup qualifying matches without a single score, a goalless streak of 556 minutes.

One team is on a historic winning streak, the other can't find the back of the net. The form is clear.

Pick : Argentina to win to zero (+210)

Prediction : Argentina 2-0 Colombia

  • Moneyline : Argentina -110 / Draw +250 / Colombia +340
  • Spread : Argentina -0.5 (-120) / Colombia +0.5 (-110)
  • O/U 2.5 total goals : Over +145 / Under -180
  • Both teams to score : Yes +115 / No -145

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.