31 march 2009: Venezuela – Colombia
MATCH: VENEZUELA – COLOMBIA
VENEZUELA
Over the last few years Venezuela have shown signs that they may yet become a force in the game. In addition to some excellent yet infrequent wins in recent times, El Vinotinto also hosted the 2007 Copa America, where they reached the quarter-finals. Further progress has been made by the juniors, who reached the FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009, becoming the second team in the nation’s history to qualify for a FIFA tournament. All that remains now is for the seniors to follow suit by reaching South Africa 2010.
The chances of them doing so appear somewhat remote at the moment. Venezuela lie eighth in the CONMEBOL qualifying group, some six points behind Chile in the fourth and final automatic qualification slot, but only three behind Uruguay, the current occupants of the play-off berth.
2 wins and 3 losses for Venezuela at home, but the defeats came against Chile, Argentina and Brazil… with an average goal of 2.
COLOMBIA
The last time the Cafeteros turned away in celebration was on 14 June 2008, when Hugo Rodallega opened the scoring in the 1-1 draw with Peru in Lima. Yet since the Necaxa forward netted that left-foot strike from close range, Colombia have recorded two draws and three defeats without once getting on the scoresheet. After a steady start to the qualifying campaign, the team have now dropped to seventh in the ten-team group and replaced coach Jorge Pinto with Eduardo Lara.
“Goalscorers all have their moments. The goal will come,” responded Lara in the face of constant probing from the media and fans. Worryingly for the new incumbent, this Cafetero goal-drought is beginning to look like more than just your typical bad patch. If you factor in the team’s 1-0 friendly defeat against Ecuador in August, the barren spell runs to 622 minutes, and of the paltry four goals scored in their 10 FIFA World Cup™ qualifying games, only two came from open play.
4 draws and 1 loss for Colombia at home, with an average goal of 0,2.
VERDICT
Confidence may be growing, but as Venezuela’s manager Rey acknowledges, the time has come to back it up with results. “If we’re going to make it to South Africa, we need to focus on winning all of our remaining home games and pick up whatever points we can away from home. That’s what will make the difference at the end. It’s going to be tough for us to qualify directly but not impossible. And there’s always the play-off spot to aim for too, so there’s every reason to keep on dreaming of a place in the World Cup.”
Colobia lack of goal will be a great problem here, but they have a rock solid defence that can make possible a draw here.
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