Although on paper the main offensive qualities of this Colombia team led by Argentine Néstor Lorenzo focus on the individual imbalance of Luis Díaz (Liverpool star) and the mobility and scoring effectiveness of Rafael Borré, the decisive man in the The triumphant debut of the coffee team in the Copa América , against Paraguay , was the stainless James Rodríguez .

The 32-year-old left-hander showed that his precise punching and his intelligence in making decisions continue to be the best attacking tool and a solid argument for Colombia to get excited about fighting for the title.

These three points in the debut are essential for Lorenzo’s team to be well positioned in a group that has Brazil as the logical candidate to advance to the round of 16 in first position and Colombia and Paraguay in the dispute for second place.

For this reason, James’s crosses for the heads of Dani Muñoz and Lerma were two blows that could complicate the aspirations of a Guaraní team that was quite limited, too dependent on the bursts of speed of Almirón, the area work of Arce and the all-rounder Enciso, who scored the discount after a perfect cross from Sosa, the Talleres striker.

Colombia lost control of the game in the second half and had a hard time adjusting to the changes the coach made when the game was close.

And with the emotional push of 1-2 and the energy that Garnero added with the arrivals of Bobadilla and Sosa, Paraguay opted for the centers and the search for the second ball with Bareiro and Ángel Romnero on the court while James and Lucho Díaz transmitted calm with his category and Yerry Mina got a penalty that the Argentine referees did not buy.