The concept of a do-or-die game can be clearly exemplified by the current situation of the Colombian National Team in the Conmebol Qualifiers. With only two games left to play, Reinaldo Rueda's team is playing for its ticket to Qatar 2022 with a zero margin of error. And as if this situation were not critical enough, there is bad news for Colombia: the absence of one of their strong men in a key area of the field: defender Yerry Mina.
To understand the complicated moment that the Colombia National Team is going through, it is enough to review the standings of the Conmebol Qualifiers. FIFA gives 4.5 tickets to the upcoming World Cup to South American teams.
The Cafetaleros currently sit in seven place with 17 points, two points behind Chile, sixth place, and three points behind Peru, which currently has the possibility of playing in the Intercontinental Playoffs against an Asian team in order to qualify for Qatar 2022.
Yerry Mina's absence with Colombia
Yerry Mina's absence with Colombia is due to a complex injury he suffered from his Everton FC team during an English Premier League match away to Newcastle on February 8. At the time, Mina came on as a starter but was substituted after 35 minutes.
The ailment that has kept Mina out of action since then is a high-grade injury to the right quadriceps tendon. While it does not require surgery to heal, he does need an extended period of rest to avoid having to undergo surgery in the future.
The options to replace Yerry Mina that Reinaldo Rueda will have to use to help Colombia qualify for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 are Davinson Sánchez, William Tesillo, Jhon Lucumi and Carlos Cuesta. Likewise, Stefan Medina, a player of Rayados de Monterrey, can be used as a central defender.
