Colombia defeats Venezuela, which is left without a World Cup thanks to Bolivia's 3-6 victory.

The Colombian national team closed out the CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifiers in high spirits by defeating Venezuela 3-6 in Maturín on Tuesday, the final matchday of South American qualifying. The team coached by Néstor Lorenzo, who entered the match with their World Cup ticket already secured after Thursday's win against Bolivia , had their star player in Santa Marta forward Luis Javier Suárez, who scored four of the six goals of the night. The price of that victory was paid by Venezuela, who missed out on the World Cup in eighth place. They were surpassed by Bolivia, who, with their 1-0 win over Brazil in El Alto, moved into seventh place, securing a spot in the playoff round to be played in Mexico in March.

After the match against Bolivia, Lorenzo had hinted at the possibility of facing Venezuela with some changes to the lineup, though without modifying the team's playing style. And so it happened: goalkeeper Kevin Mier replaced the regular Camilo Vargas. In defense, the coach lined up Álvaro Angulo, Yerry Mina, Daniel Muñoz, and Dávinson Sánchez, the only one in the back line who repeated as a starter. In midfield, he deployed a front three with Jefferson Lerma, Richard Ríos, and Kevin Castaño, who did not play against Bolivia, and further up front, captain James Rodríguez . In attack, he kept Luis Díaz, the spearhead of the forward line, this time alongside Luis Javier Suárez, who was also absent from last Thursday's match.

The match started with impetus, with Venezuela aware of what it was playing for and firmly determined not to depend on the result of the Bolivia-Brazil match to continue its race toward the World Cup. Two minutes into the match, after a partnership with striker Salomón Rondón, Telasco Segovia unleashed a right-footed shot that beat goalkeeper Mier. Euphoria swept through the Estadio Monumental de Maturín, dyed to the nines with the national team's burgundy. However, Colombia soon managed to shake it off, and Yerry Mina scored a header, taking advantage of his great height, to tie the game with 10 minutes left. But there was no morale boost for Venezuela: two minutes later, Josef Martínez capitalized on a mistake by Mier, in a confusing play, and put his team back in front: 2-1, and the mission was still accomplished, with plenty of play still to go.

The game continued to develop with some friction, without any major associations. For Colombia, a left-footed shot from outside the box by James Rodríguez stood out, catching the hands of Venezuelan goalkeeper Rafael Romo. Later, a shot stemming from a perfect overhead kick by Josef Martínez crashed against Mier's crossbar, leaving the Colombians breathless, who nevertheless tried to put together some attacking moves despite the pressure and suffocation their opponents were subjecting them to. The reward came at the end of the first half, when, after a change of attack, a cross, and a header from Luis Díaz , Luis Javier Suárez found himself face to face with Romo and only needed to tap the ball in to equalize. Meanwhile, Bolivia piled pressure on Venezuela in El Alto by scoring a penalty against Brazil. The Venezuelans went back to the locker room eliminated from the World Cup.

The second half worsened for Venezuela: five minutes in, Suárez's goal hail began, and he repeated the feat to put Colombia ahead. Nine minutes later, he himself extended the lead to 2-4. And in the 67th minute, shortly before being replaced by Jhon Córdoba, he capped off a sweet night with a 2-5 lead that was already beginning to secure victory. Venezuela tried to shake off the deficit in the 76th minute, when Salomón Rondón reduced the deficit after another error by Mier, who left the ball open to him after a poorly cleared shot. Two minutes later, in the 78th, Jhon Córdoba struck again, scoring the sixth goal of the tricolor feast.

Venezuela, mortally wounded, began to feel the brunt of the thrashing and could no longer threaten the Colombian goal. Exhaustion wasn't helping either. Even less so was the result in the game being played at the same time in El Alto, where Bolivia continued to defeat Brazil. The Venezuelan team began a painful farewell to the dream of finally reaching a World Cup, which seemed achievable in this Qualifier, which offered six direct spots instead of the four it had granted until 2022. Colombia, meanwhile, managed to retain its victory against Bolivia on Thursday, shook off the adverse results it had suffered in previous matches, and earned three points that will serve as a way to advance to the World Cup draw with the possibility of finishing first in the group and avoiding difficult opponents in the first round. They also finished third in the Qualifiers, behind Argentina and Ecuador.

When the clock struck 90 minutes of regulation time, Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio decided not to give any extra time. The Venezuelans remained on the field, waiting for what would happen in El Alto, where there were still a couple of minutes left to play. There, in Bolivia, the home side was still ahead 1-0 against a hopeless Brazil, who never managed to equalize. That match also buried Venezuela, who will continue to wait for another qualifying round in which they can overcome the disappointment of failing to qualify for the World Cup, which is almost 100 years old.