Colombia outlasts Paraguay in Copa America opener at NRG Stadium

James Rodríguez leads the charge with two assists.

Tournament dark horse Colombia kicked off Group D action against Paraguay at the NRG Stadium in Houston.

Coming into the tournament, Colombia were on a 22-match unbeaten streak, as they started the match confidently in search of an early goal. Both teams were up for the opening game as they created good goal-scoring opportunities from the very start but failed to manufacture an end product in front of goal to take the lead.

Colombia suffered a big blow in the first half when defender Jhon Lucumí had to be replaced by the experienced Yerry Mina due to an injury concern. This halt in play didn’t dither Colombia’s momentum in the match, as they broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute when right-back Daniel Muñoz rose highest in the box to power home the header off a James Rodríguez assist.

Just 10 minutes later, Los Cafeteros doubled their lead through set-piece magic again when James Rodríguez’s pinpoint cross was headed home by Bournemouth midfielder Jefferson Lerma this time, to record Rodríguez’s second assist of the match. The James Rodríguez show gave Colombia a comfortable 2-0 lead heading into the break.

Paraguay made a feisty start to the second half as they looked to find a way back into the game. However, Néstor Lorenzo’s side countered the Paraguayan pressure with their astute game management skills, which saw them draw fouls in dangerous areas, disrupting Paraguay’s rhythm to build momentum.

The aggressive second-half approach by Daniel Garnero’s team was rewarded in the 69th minute when substitute Ramón Sosa’s cross was met with a bottom-left corner finish by Brighton prodigy Julio Enciso to half the deficit to 2-1 for Paraguay.

Colombia decided to turn up the heat themselves as they looked to get back to their two-goal lead. Los Cafeteros thought they had a chance to do so when they were awarded a penalty late on in the game, but it was not to be, as the penalty ruling was overturned after a VAR review.

Colombia held on to their slender lead despite all of Paraguay’s valiant efforts to find the equaliser. This 2-1 win takes Colombia to the top of Group D for now.

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