A late penalty from Darwin Nunez earned Uruguay a hard-fought 2-2 draw against 10-man Colombia

The result leaves Colombia in third place in the qualifying group on five points, with Uruguay a place behind it on four points.

A late penalty from Darwin Nunez earned Uruguay a hard-fought 2-2 draw against 10-man Colombia in their World Cup qualifier on Thursday. Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay were behind in the first half after James Rodrigez’s shot from Rafael Santos Borre’s cross in the 35th minute.

However, they equalised just after halftime with Mathias Olivera’s header from a corner.
Uruguay’s Darwin Nunez celebrates with teammates after scoring from the penalty spot his side’s second goal against Colombia during a qualifying match for the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the Metropolitano stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia.

Colombia retook the lead five minutes later thanks to a Mateus Uribe strike from another Borre cross. But they were denied a win when goalkeeper Camilo Vargas was sent off in the 87th minute after picking up a second yellow card for a foul on Maximiliano Araujo, giving away a penalty.

Alvaro Montero came on for winger Jhon Arias and replaced Vargas in the net, but was unable to stop Nunez’s spot kick.
Colombia and Uruguay remain third and fourth in the standings of CONMEBOL’s qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Bolivia face Ecuador, Argentina host Paraguay, Chile take on Peru and Brazil face Venezuela later on Thursday.

Darwin Nunez struck a stoppage-time penalty as Uruguay fought back for a 2-2 draw at Colombia in their South American World Cup qualifier in Barranquilla on Thursday.

Colombia paid the price for squandering a series of chances to put the game to bed after taking a 2-1 lead in the 52nd minute through Mateus Uribe.
The result leaves Colombia in third place in the qualifying group on five points, with Uruguay a place behind it on four points.

James Rodriguez put Colombia ahead in the 35th minute, bringing down a cross from Santiago Arias with his right foot and then drilling home with his left.
Uruguay drew level just a minute after the restart when Mathias Olivera was left unattended to head home a Nicolas de la Cruz corner.

But Colombia restored its lead when Luis Diaz burst inside from the left flank and fed Rafael Borre, whose low cross was tucked home by Uribe.

Luis Diaz then missed a glorious chance for a third when he was sent through a one-on-one with the goalkeeper but scooped his shot high over the bar.
Rodriguez saw a low shot from inside the box strike the post and a minute later fed Jhon Arias, who clipped his shot against the bar.

Uruguay escaped with a point after Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas rushed off his line and collided with Maximiliano Araujo.
Vargas was dismissed for a second yellow card, and Liverpool striker Nunez kept his cool to bury the penalty and give Marcelo Bielsa’s side a precious point.
England manager Gareth Southgate has hailed Jack Grealish’s talent and intensity.

The attacking midfielder, who is now fit and ready to play, has experienced a stop-start season so far.
After winning the treble with City last term, Grealish is still hitting his stride after a dead leg sidelined him for longer than he expected.

“He’s grown as a player,” Southgate said to reporters.
“He’s always been a fabulous talent. Moving to a club where he had to win every week — the pressure was on to win every week, the demands of his coach — you become a more rounded player. Those experiences are with him now.

“Characters like Jack, James Maddison, Trent [Alexander-Arnold] — the attacking players — we’ve got players who see the world differently.
“He’s brutally honest about his performances. Sometimes I think he’s too hard on himself.”