Daniel Muñoz scored an acrobatic second-half winner as Colombia defeated Spain 1-0 in a friendly at the London Stadium on Friday, earning the men’s side their first win ever against La Roja.
After a dour first half in which both managers rested several key players, Colombia came back with more intensity following the interval. The former Real Madrid attacking midfielder James Rodríguez came off the bench to lead his side to a fifth consecutive win and extend their unbeaten run to 18 games.
Rodríguez, who now plays for São Paulo in Brazil, was a constant threat to the Spanish defence alongside the jet-heeled Luis Díaz. Athletic Bilbao centre-back Dani Vivian, who was making his Spain debut, struggled to stop the talented Liverpool winger.
Díaz raced up and down the left wing at will and created several chances that his team mates wasted. Two of them fell to Rodríguez, who first misfired a curling strike and then forced Spain keeper Álex Remiro – who replaced Arsenal’s David Raya at half-time – to make a brilliant one-handed save.
Colombia were the dominant force in the second half and finally broke the deadlock just after the hour mark. Rodríguez delivered a long pass that Diaz controlled before getting beyond Vivian again and crossing to Crystal Palace defender Muñoz, who netted the winning goal with an acrobatic volley into the top corner.
OUTSTANDING from Colombia! 😱😱
Brilliant wing play from Luis Diaz and then Daniel Muñoz unleashes an acrobatic scissors kick finish to put his nation ahead against Spain 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/023yxHTOqD
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) March 22, 2024
The result delighted the legions of yellow-shirted Colombia fans who had filled the stands at West Ham’s home ground. Spain slumped to their first loss in a year but manager Luis de la Fuente could point to his much-changed starting line-up as Rodri, Dani Carvajal, Álvaro Morata and other key players were left out.
The Spain manager handed international debuts to three players including 17-year-old Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí, who came off the bench late in the second-half. “We wanted them to live this experience. They are important players with a great future. They still have a long career ahead of them,” De La Fuente told Spanish channel TVE.
Show Stevenage striker Jamie Reid scored just seven minutes into his international debut as Northern Ireland earned an encouraging 1-1 friendly draw away to Romania.
Connor Bradley and Shea Charles set up the opener for the 29-year-old, with the Southampton man squaring for Reid [pictured] to fire in off the underside of the bar. Euro 2024-bound Romania hit back when Dennis Man beat Conor Hazard for power in the 23rd minute.
Paddy McNair and Ianis Hagi passed up the best chances of a sluggish second half, with Michael O’Neill impressed by his youthful side. ‘I’m very pleased with a lot of aspects of our performance,’ O’Neill said. ‘[The goal] typified what we have in our team: energy, athleticism, and the quality of our play.’ PA Media
Elsewhere, Ademola Lookman’s late goal secured a 2-1 win for Nigeria over Ghana in Marrakech, while Egypt beat New Zealand 1-0 in Cairo. Oscar Bobb scored the opener for Norway but Czech Republic fought back to win 2-1 in Oslo. Dominik Szoboszlai’s penalty earned Hungary a 1-0 home win over Turkey, while fellow Euro 2024 qualifiers Albania lost 3-0 to Chile in Parma.
Quick Guide
Roundup: Reid debut goal earns NI draw in Romania
“We learn more from defeats than from victories. We are satisfied with a lot of things. We wanted to test ourselves and continue to improve.” Spain face Brazil at the Bernabéu on Tuesday and will play Andorra in June before Euro 2024. Colombia also head to Madrid next, to face Romania at Atlético’s Wanda Metropolitano.
