The Argentina men’s national football team tied 1-1 with its Colombian counterpart on Tuesday night at the Monumental stadium. 

The game, which left Colombia on the brink of qualification, with Argentina having long secured a spot, left more heated exchanges and face-offs than brilliant plays. 

Colombia opened the scoreboard after returning star forward Luis Díaz dribbled past four Argentine defenders to score in a lightning counter. The Albiceleste, who struggled to impose itself, only managed to tie it at the final minutes, with a strike by youngster Thiago Almada.

Messi and Rodriguez’s heated exchange

Superstar Lionel Messi’s return to the starting 11, after coming from the bench in Argentina’s last game, promised the home fans some highlights worth the admission fee, but fans were left a bit wanting.

And while he showed some flashes of magic, the Inter Miami star was far from his best. In that scenario, the highlights of his game came in two heated exchanges.

Around the halfway mark of the second half, Messi went to talk to James Rodríguez, with several outlets claiming he criticized the Colombian for his remarks after the 2024 Copa América. The Cafeteros star said at the time the referee had helped Argentina claim the title, which was settled with a Lautaro Martínez goal in extra time. After the match, Rodríguez refused to elaborate on what was discussed, saying that “what happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch.”

Messi also had some words for Paraguayan referee Juan Gabriel Benítez. After the final whistle went, he could be heard telling Benítez that the match’s tense atmosphere was “all his fault.” 

“You brought this on with your calls; this is all on you,” the Argentine captain added.

More scuffles

The former FC Barcelona and PSG man was hardly the only one in the mood for a fight. After the whistle went, Argentina midfielder Rodrigo de Paul was seen making gestures to Colombia’s Luis Amaranto Perea.

Albiceleste veteran defender Nicolás Otamendi was another to have rough-ups, particularly with Colombian midfielder Richard Ríos, with whom he tussled after the final whistle. After a comment by Otamendi, Ríos replied the Argentine defender was “too old and can’t even run.”

“It was something like what happened with Brazil; they talk before the games,” said Otamendi after the match. ”We showed on the field the team we are and the hierarchy we have”.

It was a sentiment echoed by head coach Lionel Scaloni, who insisted his team “gave a big show of character” and that it was “important the team doesn’t lose that.” Scaloni also highlighted the support of the fans, claiming they “carried the team” through the worst moments of the game.

“We felt their support today,” he added.

Argentina v. Colombia, a historied and tense rivalry

Tuesday night’s was far from the first duel between Argentina and Colombia to end in a tense climate. The game has become a modern derby for the Albiceleste, reaching the level of anticipation and tension that used to be reserved only for clashes with Brazil or European giants like Germany or England.

On July 2021, Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez burst onto the scene as Argentina’s goalkeeper at the 2021 Copa América in a match against Colombia. After a hard-fought 1-1 draw in the tournament semifinals, Martínez became the hero in the penalty shootout, saving the efforts from Davinson Sánchez, Yerry Mina, and Edwin Cardona to secure the Albiceleste’s ticket to the deciding match. He didn’t do it quietly, with his Mirá que te como (I’m about to have you for lunch) trash talk to Sánchez and Mina turning him into a star overnight.

The two met three years later in the same competition, with Argentina lifting its second Copa America against Colombia with the aforementioned Lautaro Martínez goal. This time the controversy came as the Cafeteros highly disputed the game’s refereeing. Former FIFA-level referee Rafael Sanabria said the referee had allowed Argentina to waste time, while Bogotá mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said it was “very hard to play against Argentina and the referee.”

Colombia had its revenge shortly after, beating the Albiceleste 2-1 at Barranquilla in September 2024. “Dibu” Martínez was once again the protagonist, pushing a cameraman after the match ended. The incident got him a two-game ban from international matches after the Colombian Association of Sports Journalists called for an “exemplary sanction.”