Colombia and Paraguay's U20 teams started their participation in the South American U20 Championship with a 1-1 draw at the Pascual Guerrero Stadium in Cali, in the first round of Group A. Brazil is the leader of the group after defeating Peru 3-0.
Paraguay, led by Aldo Bobadilla, took the lead with a controversial penalty goal from Allan Wlk, while the hosts, trained by Héctor Cárdenas, equalized early in the second half with a goal from midfielder Daniel Luna.
At the beginning of the match, Paraguay took advantage of Colombia's imprecise passing and were awarded a penalty when midfielder Matías Segovia's powerful shot was blocked by Colombian captain Gustavo Puerta's hand.
Allan Wlk from Olimpia was responsible for scoring, beating Colombian goalkeeper Luis Marquines in the 6th minute.
The Colombian team tried to react but had difficulties breaking through Paraguay's defense, in part because players like Alexis Castillo Manyoma or Juan David Fuentes had little impact.
Paraguay continued to threaten on the counterattack with Segovia, a constant headache for the Colombian defenders.
The only clear opportunity for the hosts in the first half came from a lateral ball that was first shot by Castillo Manyoma and then by central defender Kevin Mantilla, both saved on two occasions by Ángel González, the goalkeeper from Libertad.
In the second half, Juan Fuentes from Barcelona and Jhojan Castillo from Independiente Santa Fe left the field, and midfielder Juan Castilla and winger Miguel Monsalve came on, changing the game for Colombia.
Just in the first play after their entry, the equalizer came in the 46th minute, with Monsalve passing the ball to Luna, who beat goalkeeper González in a one-on-one situation.
For a good portion of the second half, the match lost intensity and neither team created much danger. In Colombia, the attacking players who entered had little impact, while in Paraguay, Diego González, Wlk, and Segovia did not stand out.
However, the Colombian team reacted and once again pushed forward with the entry of Óscar Cortés and Jorge Cabezas.
The clearest opportunity for the hosts in the second half came from Monsalve, who took a strong shot that was saved by the Paraguayan goalkeeper after a great individual play by right-back Édier Ocampo.
In the end, the match was fought more than played, and now both teams will have to search for victories in their next matches to dream of reaching the final hexagonal.
In the second round, scheduled for Saturday, Colombia will face Peru, while Paraguay will play against Argentina, who will make their debut in the tournament that day.
EFE.
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