Argentina rescued one point with a 1-1 draw against Colombia at Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, in a complicated match for La Albiceleste. Throughout the game, in which Enzo Fernandez saw a red card, there were several confrontations between players, including a heated word exchange between Lionel Messi and James Rodriguez.
While Messi didn’t talk to the press after the match, Rodriguez only needed nine words to address the situation. “What happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch,” he told reporters with a smile in a video shared by Diario Ole.
Messi went to talk to Rodriguez just after Fernandez was sent off at the 70th minute mark. While they covered their mouths during most of the discussion, the footage revealed part of what they said to each other.
“You said the referees have helped us in the final [referring to the 2024 Copa America final],” Messi confronted James. To which the Colombian star, visibly surprised, replied, “Me? I didn’t say anything.” However, Messi didn’t leave it. “You talk too much,” he said.
Messi referred to Rodriguez’s claims during an interview with Edu Aguirre, which occurred weeks after the tournament. “We put on a commendable performance at Copa America, coming close to victory. However, due to external factors, we were unable to clinch the title. I believe the refereeing favored them,“ Rodriguez said at the time.
Colombia near World Cup qualification
Since losing the Copa America final 1-0 in extra time, Colombia have put Argentina in trouble in their two World Cup Qualifying encounters. In Barranquilla, Los Cafeteros won 2-1 in another heated match, before Tuesday’s draw.
While Argentina already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, Colombia only need another triumph to seal their ticket to the tournament. Los Cafeteros will play against Bolivia and Venezuela in September.