Luis Díaz put Colombia ahead early, but despite being reduced to 10 men, Argentina fought back to equalize late in the second half.

Argentina has already secured their spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but they showed their resilience in a hard-fought 1–1 draw against Colombia in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying on Tuesday night.

Thiago Almada was the hero for La Albiceleste, scoring the equalizer in the 81st minute after Argentina had fallen behind 1-0 in the first half and were reduced to 10 men in the 71st minute following Enzo Fernandez’s red card.

Almada, the 24-year-old Lyon winger, found himself in a central position during a throw-in, cutting inside to beat his defender and fire a shot past Colombian goalkeeper Kevin Mier, leveling the score.

What made the equalizer even more remarkable was that it came after Lionel Messi had left the pitch in the 78th minute, with Argentina hoping to inject some energy into their play as they chased the equalizer. Despite the setback, Argentina’s performance grew stronger as the match wore on.

Colombia, despite having only 36% possession compared to Argentina’s 64%, stood firm for much of the game. The first-half goal from Luis Díaz, however, will remain a standout moment for Colombia in this World Cup qualifying campaign.

Díaz’s goal came in the 24th minute, when he latched onto a through ball, sprinted down the left wing, and skillfully evaded four Argentine defenders before unleashing a powerful shot past Emiliano Martínez to give Colombia the lead.

With the draw, Colombia moved up to sixth place in the World Cup qualifying table with 22 points, keeping them in the mix for automatic qualification for next summer’s tournament, while staying ahead of the seventh-place team, who would need to play in the intercontinental playoff.