Fifa U-17 World Cup: Three things we learned from Colombia’s first warm-up game

The Colombia Under-17 team beat the Minerva Under-20’s 1-0 in a hard-fought friendly in Gurgaon on Wednesday ahead of the Fifa U-17 World Cup. Forward Deyman Cortes scored for the South Americans in the first half after receiving winger Leandro Campaz’s cross.

The South Americans dominated the opening periods in which they created a lot of chances. Minerva struggled to retain possession, but defended deep and enough to go into the break only one goal down. Towards the end of the first half, Colombia slowed down considerably, possibly due to the hot and humid conditions.

India take on Colombia on October 9. Here are three things we learned after watching their first warm-up game:

Crosses and long balls

Colombia lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with big man Cortes up front. Campaz, on his left, had an excellent game marauding down his flank. The 4-2-3-1 would become a 4-4-2 by the end with Colombia coach Orlando Restrepo employing two holding midfielders in the latter stages.

Badadhe later told The Field that he had identified Colombia’s crossing as a vital part of their gameplay and had asked his boys to stop any balls from coming in from the wing. “They rely heavily on their crossing and their long balls. Those are their main channels of attack.”

The Colombians started the game at full throttle, employing a lateral press, something group opponents India will have to be very wary of. Very few of their attacks came down the middle, as they sought to concentrate on sending the ball down the channels, mostly left, and whipping it, hoping to force their opponents into a mistake.

This strategy was evident as the double team on the left forced Campaz to switch it to Etilso Martinez and Yadir Betancur on the far right on a couple of occasions.

Weather concern

As suspected, the weather will be a concern for many teams in India. Ranjit Bajaj, Minerva owner, confirmed that he had suggested an earlier kickoff to the Colombians but it had been shifted to late evening on account of weather conditions.

Minerva broke through to the Colombian half by the end of the first 45 and the second half was a much more open game. The Chandigarh-based team had a lot more chances of their own in the second half.

Badadhe said that the pace of his midfielders was what he used to change the flow of the game in the second half. “Our plan almost paid off. The strategy was to sit deep and defend in the first half, and then bring on our pacy midfielders – Chhote, Mang and Azhou – in the second half. We countered and we dominated the match in the last 15 minutes.”

Great physicality

The Colombian Under-17 team possesses great physicality despite their tender age and it was on display during most of the match. They used it to full effect in the first half with plenty of loopy long balls from the back and crosses from the wings to spark their aerial threat.

Cortes, in particular, aside from his fine finish, did a good job of leading the line, attacking with gusto in the first half. He sought to get on the end of several good moves by the Colombian midfield trio of Andres Perea, Brayan Gomez and Etilso Martinez. It was Perea who started the move, playing a diagonal ball to Campaz to put a cross into Cortes.

The winger, Campaz, will also be one to look out for, as he kept Minerva right-back Kamalpreet Singh on his toes throughout the opening period. Shortest in this squad at 168 centimetres, Campaz nonetheless is a stocky, speedy operator with a powerful left-foot as he sought to whip the ball in time and again.

In the second half, as the defence was being tested, one member of the backline distinguished himself with good interceptions and tackles as Colombia kept a clean sheet. Guillermo Tegue from the club Deportivo Cali had a good run-out as he kept Minerva at bay as the six foot one central defender is the mainstay of the back four.

For India, the biggest concern will and should be physicality, as the South Americans look to be well-built and bigger than their counterparts from the host nation.

Badadhe summed up the Colombian team by saying, “They have a fantastic attack, good midfield. I think the defence though might be a bit susceptible to pace on the counter. Their big forward is good and he scored a goal, but he needs the service. If India can cut off the crosses and the long balls, then they have a chance of stopping them.”

The South Americans kick their campaign off against Ghana on the sixth, followed by India on the ninth at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium before finishing off against the United States on the 12th.