Colombia U21 and Venezuela U21 met in the semi-finals of the Central American and Caribbean Games on Wednesday, with the visitors taking a narrow 1-0 victory. The result sends Venezuela through to the final while Colombia's campaign comes to an end on a disappointing note.
And here's the thing — the game could have gone either way early on. Just twenty-three minutes in, D. Claut had a penalty to win it for the hosts but could not find the back of the net. That miss changed the complexion of the match entirely, leaving Colombia to chase the game.
It was not until the eighty-third minute that the breakthrough came, and it was J. S. Hernandez Ochoa who made no mistake. The goal put Venezuela firmly in control, and from that point the visitors looked comfortable managing the remainder of the fixture.
By then, Colombia had grown increasingly desperate. The situation worsened in stoppage time when M. Orozco received a red card, leaving the hosts with ten men for the final moments. It was a harsh end to what had been a competitive encounter.
The standings before the match told a different story. Colombia sat top of the group with seven points from three games, while Venezuela were second with six. To be fair, the points gap was minimal, and neither side could afford a slip-up at this stage.
Venezuela now advance to the final, where they will face the winner of the other semi-final. Colombia's undefeated run in the group stage is over, and they will have to reflect on missed opportunities and a costly dismissal.