Miami (AFP) – Colombia, fueled by a debut goal from Gustavo Puerta, defeated New Zealand 2-1 on Saturday in a friendly clash between World Cup-bound teams in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Puerta, 22, opened the scoring in the third minute and Johan Carbonero sealed the win in the 88th — eight minutes after Benjamin Old had pulled New Zealand level. Puerta’s early strike, off a precise cross from Jhon Arias, disrupted New Zealand, who struggled to find an immediate response. They regrouped in the second half and were able to capitalize on lax Colombian defending to grab the equalizer.
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Old, who had come on in the 64th minute, received a cross and only needed to tap in to level the score. New Zealand had threatened moments earlier as Jesse Randall, Storm Roux and Sarpreet Singh combined only for the final shot to sail wide.
“New Zealand had a good strategy and competed very well physically,” Colombia manager Nestor Lorenzo said. “They challenged us several times.” Colombia pressed quickly for a winner. A long ball from Yerry Mina landed at Carbonero’s feet and he eluded two defenders to score just 10 minutes after entering the game.
Both teams’ 2026 World Cup preparations continue on Tuesday, when Colombia face Australia at Citi Field in New York and New Zealand play Ecuador in Harrison, New Jersey.
© 2024 AFP
