Jefferson Lerma and Colombia remain unbeaten in the South American race for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification after an impressive 1-0 win over Paraguay in Asunción.
The midfielder won his 39th cap for Colombia in the victory, playing the full 90 minutes and helping his team grind out a narrow victory via an 11th-minute penalty via Rafael Santos Borré.
Lerma had also featured as a late substitute in Colombia's 2-1 dramatic win over Brazil in Barranquilla the previous week.
Los Cafeteros trailed to Gabriel Martinelli's opener for Brazil – ranked third in the world – for the majority of the match, but a late brace from Luis Diaz sent them ahead with just 11 minutes left on the clock. That led to Lerma coming on and helping his team see out the victory.
Those results see Colombia go third in the South American qualifying group – the only side unbeaten after six matches, trailing leaders Argentina by just three points. The top six teams after 18 matches qualify.
Meanwhile, Joachim Andersen and Denmark sealed their qualification for next summer's European Championship finals with a 2-1 win over Group H surprise package Slovenia in Copenhagen last week.
Due to Kazakhstan's win over San Marino, the Danes required three points to qualify and duly claimed them thanks to goals either side of half-time from Joachim Maehle and Thomas Delaney.
In truth, the Danes' defensive dominance saw them control proceedings more than the final scoreline suggests, with Andersen and his teammates restricting Slovenia to just two shots on goal and 34 percent possession.
And despite them ending their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Northern Ireland at Windsor Park on Monday night – a game Andersen also played the entirety of – they took top spot in Group H courtesy of their head-to-head record.
Denmark will next summer look to go one better than in 2021, when they lost in the semi-finals to England.
