History should have written a different final chapter: it was a victory, an early classification, a feat. And it was a draw, a 1-1 draw that soon came to light what was seen on the field of the Pascual Guerrero stadium.
Luckily that result is only the surface. Basically there are some modifications that Héctor Cárdenas’s team had that, although they were not enough to seal the ticket to the hexagonal of the South American U-20, they are an invitation to hope for the closing of group A; in which everything is played face to face with Argentina.
The much-criticized DT had successes, the so-called players and their attitude changed, the atmosphere became ideal so that at last there was more talk about the virtues, which always existed, than about the defects. These were the adjustments that changed the face of Colombia and that give to point to the classification:
another attitude
Much was said about the lack of ambition of the players on the field and the straitjacket with which they seemed to come out, either due to tactical discipline or stage fright. This time, as lately happens when the rival in front is a power, the team allowed itself to release pressure and play football.
And yes, there was that in this group! Ocampo and Cortés were an exceptional tandem on the right, Álvarez’s shirt suited him divinely and the role of central defender, Salazar was discussed for the first time as an attacking option in the tournament, Castilla’s precision was inspiring, Luna’s sacrifice He does not admit criticism and Gustavo Puerta, who is a motor, captain, impeccable reader of matches and on top of that a scorer, anticipates that we will see little of him on this side of the world. Was there no talent? It was too much! He just needed to believe it, put his face up and play face to face with a power like Brazil.
Open the door!
What everyone was waiting for was a round tournament of the suit of the call, Jhon Jader Durán. What the coaching staff childishly did not see coming is that with the European market open they could leave any day and it was a sin to plan a tournament based on their category. But there behind the scenes, without that media impact, the captain was always there. And what a captain! The Gustavo Puerta thing in the Under 20 is to write a separate chapter in this Under-20, because he equally enjoys making himself felt on the mark and appearing as a ghost with his phenomenal mid-distance shot. It sounds crazy to send him on loan to a minor team in Spain, as is speculated to happen, when he could very well open up space in any promising team… as Durán did.
dare to win
From the outset, Colombia’s intention was always to beat Brazil. And that is day and night with respect to what his previous outings had been. Instead of ensuring the midfield with three brand men, DT opted for two -Puerta and Castilla-, both with the role of markers but very clear starting profiles; he chose Cortés, Luna and Monsalve to reinforce the inside game and fill the spaces to beat the talented Brazilians one-on-one; He convinced them all that, sacrificing all to the same extent in the mark, they were going to shine when they went on the attack. And Cárdenas won. Everything has to be said.
Perhaps the Caraballo case is the only mole, but in the plan it was not a far-fetched idea that all the internal game that was going to be generated needed a reference in the area to finish. As an idea, Colombia against Brazil has no discussion. Another thing is the enormous mess that DT created by himself with the call for his forwards.