Argentina vs Colombia: Rivalry Watch | Copa America 2024 final

La Albiceleste have a far better record against their Copa America 2024 finalists, Colombia.

Colombia were the inaugural runners-up of the then newly-redefined Copa America in 1975 after Peru defeated them in a 3-1 aggregate across a three-legged final encounter. They won their first and only continental title in 2001 after defeating Mexico in the final on home soil. Argentina, on the other hand, have won the tournament on 15 occasions and the defending champions have formidable opponents in the form of Colombia, who have grabbed a lot of eyeballs after knocking out Uruguay, the joint most successful team in the tournament, in the semi-finals.

Argentina and Colombia share a vast cultural history and heritage, but when it comes to footballing rivalry, two of the greatest South American nations have not shied away from exhibiting their prowess on the biggest stage of continental and world football. This fixture is unarguably one of the most entertaining, thrilling and jaw-dropping matches. There have been plenty of goals, countless moments of madness and emotions that transcend beyond just football.

In this story, we take you on a thrilling roller-coaster ride through the rivalry between Los Cafeteros and La Albiceleste, which has spanned several decades.

Head-to-Head

Total Matches – 43

Argentina Won – 26

Colombia Won – 9

Draws – 8

If you are an Argentine fan and wonder if these statistics are true, well, they are absolutely correct as Argentina have a win percentage of over 60% against Colombia in all their previous encounters in all competitions.

Humiliating start & Argentina’s decades of dominance

The rivalry began as early as February of 1945 at Estadio Nacional in Santiago. This is one of the few clashes that Colombian fans will never like to be reminded of, as Argentina thrashed Colombia in the most humiliating manner by defeating them 9-1 at Copa America 1945, which was back then known as the South American Championship of Football. René Alejandro, Juan José, Norberto Méndez and Mario Boyé scored twice as Argentina got one of their biggest wins in Copa America history.

If you think things got better for Colombia, you are wrong. The situation worsened with more such humiliating defeats like 6-0 and 8-2 against Argentina at major continental events.

Also read: Argentina’s performance in last five Copa America editions

1985-1993: Colombia’s first wins

It took a long wait of 39 years for Los Cafeteros to create history by beating Argentina for the first time in an international friendly, as a solitary penalty from Miguel Prince saw the Colombians getting the better of the Argentines at Bogotá in 1984.

Colombia and Argentina were familiar opponents as they faced each other in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 1985 and at the South American Games in 1986. History repeated itself as La Albiceleste thrashed Colombia on all four occasions, until Colombia secured their first Copa America victory against Argentina in 1987 and then again went on to defeat them in an international friendly in 1989.

1993: Sweet revenge in Buenos Aires

Colombia had enough of Argentine dominance as they were determined to thrash their old foes and they did so by defeating La Albiceleste twice in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 1993. It began with a 2-1 win on their home soil and Colombia went to Buenos Aires to play their second fixture.

For all the pain the Argentines had inflicted upon Colombian fans after humiliating them in the most embarrassing way possible, Colombia got their sweet revenge by thrashing La Albiceleste 5-0 on Argentine soil. Two goals each from Freddy Rincón and Faustino Asprilla saw the Colombians smash the Argentines.

Also read: Argentina vs Colombia combined XI | Copa America 2024 final

Competitive Balance: New millennium showdown

Though Argentina kept winning multiple matches against Colombia, the difference in the quality of both teams was decreasing, as Colombian players were competent enough to defend their own bastion. As the second decade of the 2000s was about to begin, Colombia faced a winless streak of seven matches that spanned across 10 long years from 2009 to 2019.

At the 2019 Copa America, Colombia shocked the world after defeating Argentina in their group fixture. They showed the world that on any given day, they have the ability to pull one of the biggest upsets in football. Colombia, who topped their group by winning all their three games, advanced to the quarter-finals where their hopes were crushed by Chile.

2024: The ultimate Copa America final

We are expecting to add a new chapter to the rivalry as both these teams face-off in probably their most important clash of the year, if not the decade, with an opportunity to be crowned the champions of South America.

Though Argentina are everyone’s favouurites, be wary of the threat posed by Colombia, who have previously shocked the world on many occasions. So, will it be Lionel Messi’s Argentina who will lift the Copa America title on Sunday or will Colombia’s wonder-boy, James Rodriguez, miraculously propel the Colombian side to glory? We will find out soon.

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