James Rodríguez scored Colombia’s opening goal but committed an error that led to Argentina’s temporary equalizer, only to redeem himself later by converting a penalty that sealed a crucial 2-1 victory over Argentina, the leaders of the South American World Cup 2026 qualifiers, on Tuesday.

Argentina, who won the Copa América on July 14 in a tight final against Colombia (1-0), hadn’t lost in Barranquilla since August 15, 1993, when they fell 2-1 to goals by Adolfo 'El Tren' Valencia and Iván René Valenciano. Those were the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

Néstor Lorenzo’s team secured a key win in the eighth round, which temporarily lifts them to second place with 16 points, just two behind Argentina. The Albiceleste struggled in the heat and were outplayed by a well-organized Colombian side, particularly in defense.

The hosts' first goal came from center-back Yerson Mosquera, while Argentina equalized through Juventus winger Nicolás González. James, meanwhile, scored the 2-1 penalty in the 60th minute.

In the early stages, the Colombian team took control of the ball and tried to assert themselves against a well-organized Argentine defense, led by the battle-hardened veteran Nicolás Otamendi.

However, the match quickly turned into an end-to-end affair. Argentina had the first clear chance in the 12th minute when goalkeeper Camilo Vargas fumbled the ball under pressure from Julián Álvarez, who, despite the opportunity, sent his shot wide.

Colombia responded with a shot from midfielder Richard Ríos, to which Argentina countered with an effort from full-back Gonzalo Montiel.

In this context, Néstor Lorenzo's team opened the scoring in the 25th minute from a corner kick. James combined with Jhon Arias and delivered a precise cross that Mosquera headed home to celebrate his first goal in the Colombian jersey with great emotion.

Lionel Scaloni’s side came close to equalizing late in the first half, first with two shots from center-backs Otamendi and Lisandro Martínez, and later with a volley from striker Lautaro Martínez that narrowly missed Vargas’s goal.

The second half began with intensity, and Argentina quickly found the equalizer. In the 47th minute, James attempted a backward pass to Mosquera, but the ball ended up with González, who beat Vargas in a one-on-one to make it 1-1.

However, Colombia responded and in a well-executed collective move, the ball fell to full-back Daniel Muñoz in the box, where he was brought down by Otamendi. After a lengthy VAR review, Chilean referee Piero Maza awarded the penalty.

James stepped up, aimed, and sent a low shot that Argentina's Emiliano 'Dibu' Martínez couldn’t stop, redeeming himself for his earlier mistake in the 60th minute.

After the goal, Scaloni looked to the bench, bringing on Alexis Mac Allister and Marcos Acuña to add depth to his team, but they ran into a solid Colombian defense that prevented any clear chances.

Central defenders Jhon Lucumí and Mosquera were instrumental in this effort, with Mosquera, who was substituted in the 88th minute, denying Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez from causing danger near Vargas's goal.

Colombia withstood Argentina’s late attacks, which lacked clarity, and secured three crucial points against their Copa América final opponents from last July.