Colombia woke up today with sad news. Former national team captain Freddy Rincón died last night after being involved in a car accident in Cali.
The news was confirmed by his children and the hospital treating him.
BOGOTA/LAGOS — Colombian food vendor William Abella had been counting on the World Cup 2022 as an opportunity to offset his losses from long COVID-19 lockdowns.
When the national team plays, his small corner shop and snack bar in central Bogota usually turns into a sea of yellow as football fans wearing the squad's official shirt gather to drink and chat, lifting beer sales by up to 80%.
But like many small traders in footballing countries that unexpectedly failed to qualify, his hopes for bumper business from fans cheering on their side have been dashed.
With a 2-0 victory over Paraguay in Lima on Tuesday night, Peru clinched fifth place in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying and a spot in the inter-confederation playoffs, knocking out sixth-place Colombia and seventh-place Chile in the process. This marks the end of the road for a couple memorable generations of players for Los Cafeteros and La Roja.
No shaky legs, no big mistakes to regret. Perú beat Paraguay 2-0 and secured fifth place in CONMBEBOL qualifiers on Tuesday night, earning the ticket for an intercontinental World Cup playoff against Australia or the United Arab Emirates.
Perú just needed five minutes to take away the pressure thanks to Italian-born Gianluca Lapadula. El Bambino finished gracefully an exquisite assist from Christian Cueva and started the celebrations accross the whole nation.
Uruguay and Ecuador secured the last two CONMEBOL direct tickets to the 2022 World Cup on Tuesday, joining already qualified Brazil and Argentina. The only thing left up for grabs now on the continent is the slot in the inter-confederation playoff against AFC (Asia). Those in contention are Perú, Colombia and Chile.
Last stop in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, and there are still a few spots for the 2022 World Cup up for grabs. Brazil and Argentina are already on the plane, while Ecuador, Uruguay, Perú, Chile and Colombia are still fighting for two direct tickets and one inter-confederation playoff slot.
What do they need to fulfill their dreams? Here we have a guide with the results that could send them to Qatar.
Liverpool have signed Colombia winger Luis Díaz from Porto on a long-term deal, the Premier League club announced on Sunday.
Financial details were not disclosed but the BBC reported the deal is expected to be worth $50.14 million, with a maximum of $16.72 million in add-ons.
Díaz, who has seven goals in 31 appearances for Colombia, becomes Liverpool's first signing of the January transfer window.
A Premier League transfer caught my eye over the weekend, not because of the notoriety of the player, but actually for the exact opposite reason. Chelsea midfielder Lewis Baker joined Stoke City on a permanent deal following 17 years with the Blues.
Not familiar with the name? Don't feel too bad. Baker made just two first-team appearances during his time in London — FA Cup cameos during the 13-14 and 21-22 seasons. Instead, the 26-year-old had eight loan spells in four countries after being promoted to the Chelsea senior squad in 2014.
James Rodríguez is being praised as a hero in the Qatar Stars League after saving the life of a colleague on Jan. 8. The Colombian was playing for Al-Rayyan when Al-Wakrah defender Ousmane Coulibaly collapsed on the goal-line due to a cardiac arrest, just seconds after he sent the ball to a corner kick.
Reports say while everybody was panicking, Rodríguez ran to Coulibaly and performed a life-saving maneuver. The phrase is not an oversell — the doctors who took care of Coulibaly in the stadium applauded his intervention.
FIFA announced the 2021 Puskás Award nominees on Monday and once again it’s a list of all-time bangers. The 11 goals include scorpion kicks, rabonas, bicycle kicks, audacious chips and goals from midfield — and Tottenham Hotspur could repeat as winner.
The Puskás Award is voted upon by two groups with equal electoral weight: an international panel of “FIFA Legends” and fans, who can vote here through Dec. 17.
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