Fresh off win, Colombia asked about potential quarterfinal vs. Argentina in KC
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Colombia won 1-0 over Ghana for its first knockout victory in 12 years.
- Colombia faces Switzerland in a Round of 16 match that will determine advancement.
- A Colombia-Argentina quarterfinal in Kansas City on July 11 is possible but not certain.
Colombia had just finished a 1-0 win over Ghana in a Round of 32 match at Kansas City Stadium (aka Arrowhead) for its first knockout stage victory in 12 years, when the postgame conversation turned to the future.
A reporter wanted to know what Colombia forward Luis Suárez thought about a possible meeting with Argentina in a quarterfinal game, which could take place in Kansas City on July 11.
That’s no lock because Colombia still has a Round of 16 game against Switzerland on Tuesday. If Colombia loses, or Argentina falls to Egypt on the same day, there will be no meeting between the South American countries.
But should it work out that way, it would be a rematch of the 2024 Copa America final, which Argentina won 1-0 in extra time.
Suárez said the task wouldn’t be easy to get to the quarterfinal and he wasn’t looking that far ahead.
“It’s very complicated when they give you that role of having to take the game, that you have to win obligatorily,” Suárez said, per a translation. “I think we have enough personality to take it on. I think today we saw a team with an overwhelming personality from the first minute. So looking ahead, we’re going to look at the next goal. I think we have it (match up) very close, so I think we’re going to go step by step, game by game.”
Coach Néstor Lorenzo was only thinking about Tuesday’s match, and he gave his quick thoughts on the Swiss.
Switzerland beat Algeria 2-0 in their knockout stage game on Thursday.
“Very orderly, good midfielders, they play well,” Lorenzo said of Switzerland. “They play organized. They have a good team. It’ll be a challenge for us.”
Suárez didn’t start the game but came on in the seventh minute when Jhon Cordoba was injured.
His impact was almost immediate. Suárez played a ball into the penalty area, and Jhon Arias scored the game’s lone goal in the 14th minute.
“We created a lot of chances, but we didn’t score a lot of them and I like how we defended,” Lorenzo said. “We had clear opportunities for our opponents but the defense and wingbacks aren’t always used to this kind of attack. ... They all performed quite well this evening and held the score to zero. We had a clean sheet. That helped us get the win.”
