Colombia draws 0-0 with Venezuela in Copa America clash

Venezuela is one of only two nations never to win the Copa America and its already slim chances were damaged before the tournament began when eight players tested positive for COVID-19 and were forced to self-isolate.

Published : Jun 18, 2021 09:04 IST , GOIANIA

Colombia's Juan Cuadrado, left, and Venezuela's Edson Castillo leave the field at the end of the match on Thursday.
Colombia's Juan Cuadrado, left, and Venezuela's Edson Castillo leave the field at the end of the match on Thursday.
lightbox-info

Colombia's Juan Cuadrado, left, and Venezuela's Edson Castillo leave the field at the end of the match on Thursday.

An understrength Venezuela managed just one shot at goal for the second game in a row but shut out a superior Colombia at the other end to grab a 0-0 draw in its Copa America tie in Goiania on Thursday.

Venezuela is one of only two nations never to win the Copa America and its already slim chances were damaged before the tournament began when eight players tested positive for COVID-19 and were forced to self-isolate.

All told, players or officials from four of the 10 teams are now isolating due to positive COVID-19 tests.

The damage was telling for Venezuela in a game where they mustered just one shot at goal compared to Colombia’s 17, requiring a dazzling performance from their goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez to keep a clean sheet.

"I want to congratulate the rival keeper for his great performance," Colombia coach Reinaldo Rueda said. "He prevented us from celebrating a goal."

"We must improve our finishing," he added.

ALSO READ |

Colombia, who beat Ecuador 1-0 in their opener on Sunday, squandered a string of opportunities and too often mishit final balls into the box against an opponent that defended in numbers.

Miguel Borja thought he had grabbed the winner for Colombia in the 90th minute only to see his effort ruled out for offside and then his side were reduced to 10 men when Luis Diaz was shown a straight red for foul play.

The result takes Colombia to the top of Group B with four points from their first two games, a point ahead of Brazil, who play their second match against Peru later on Thursday.

Venezuela have one point from two games but are not out the tournament quite yet, as four of the five teams in each group qualify for the knock-out stages.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment