Diaz leads Argentina past Colombia

Pressure on Argentina coach Diego Armando Maradona will have decreased as his side beat Colombia 1-0 in a tough World Cup qualifier this Wednesday.

Colombia had a number of chances throughout the match, but always missed the final link that was needed to actually put the ball past the opposing keeper.

Argentina did improve after the break. Lionel Messi hit the post from a free kick but teammate Daniel Diaz (Getafe) eventually powered home in the 56th minute. Colombia pushed for an equaliser but the hosts held on to their lead.

Maradona’s men are now in third place in the South American qualifiers, and should normally be able to reach next year’s World Cup without too many problems.

This can’t be said of Colombia, who dropped from seventh to eighth place as result of this defeat.