Colombia comes from behind to defeat Mexico 3-2
The Zenit midfielder scored a spectacular goal that sealed the comeback of the team led by Néstor Lorenzo, former coach of Melgar.
With three goals in the second half, the Colombian team came from behind to defeat the Mexican team 3-2 in a friendly match played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in front of 67,311 fans.
Alexis Vega scored in the 6th minute, and Gerardo Arteaga scored in the 29th minute for the Mexican team.
Luis Sinisterra scored in the 49th and 52nd minute, and Wilmar Barrios scored in the 68th minute to complete the comeback for the Colombian team.
Mexico found an early opportunity for the first goal. Uriel Antuna dribbled on the right side and was brought down by Colombian Luis Díaz in the box.
The referee awarded a penalty and Alexis Vega converted it into a goal, making it 1-0 with a low left shot that beat goalkeeper David Ospina in the 6th minute.
After the first goal, there were few emotions, with only a couple of missed shots: a header by Néstor Araujo for Mexico in the 10th minute and a shot by Díaz inside the box for Colombia in the 21st minute.
It was not until the 29th minute when the Mexican team created the play for the 2-0 goal: Erick Gutiérrez sent a pass forward, Vega let it go through his legs, and Gerardo Arteaga, being left-footed, positioned himself on the right to shoot past Ospina.
In the 42nd minute, the Mexican team missed the third goal. Henry Martín passed the ball to Vega, who failed to convert and the ball ended up in the gloves of Ospina.
A fresh start in the second half, the Colombian team made three substitutions ordered by coach Néstor Alonso, one of them being Sinisterra replacing Radamel Falcao, who went unnoticed in the first half.
Colombia showed determination and quickly equalized the score.
In the 49th minute, Juan Cuadrado took a corner kick from the right, and Sinisterra made a solid headshot to make it 2-1.
Three minutes later, Sinisterra scored again, making it 2-2 with a shot inside the box.
The comeback was completed in the 68th minute when Wilmar Barrios took a shot from outside the box, making it 3-2 with a save from goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
In the 81st minute, the American referee Nima Saghafi temporarily suspended the game due to the homophobic chant from the Mexican fans, upset by their team's defeat.
The next preparation match for the Mexican team for the 2022 World Cup will be on November 9th against Iraq in Girona, Spain.