BARRANQUILLA, Colombia (AP) — James Rodríguez converted a penalty and provided an assist to lift Colombia to a 2-1 win over defending champion Argentina in a South American World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

Injured Argentine star Lionel Messi did not play in Barranquilla, the two teams’ first match since the Copa America final.

Yerson Mosquera opened the scoring in the 25th minute, but Argentina equalised in the 48th minute when Nico Gonzalez took advantage of a Colombian defensive error. Rodríguez’s 60th-minute penalty, awarded after a video review, sealed the win at the Metropolitano.

World champions Argentina won the Copa America Cup in July after a 1-0 win in extra time against Colombia.

Colombia, which has not triumphed against Argentina since 2019, is still unbeaten in South American World Cup qualifying.

Argentina leads the round-robin competition after eight games with 18 points, two points ahead of Colombia.

Also on Tuesday, Bolivia beat Chile 2-1 in Santiago and Ecuador beat Peru 1-0. Venezuela against Uruguay and Paraguay against Brazil are still to be played.

The best six teams in the South American qualifiers will automatically receive a place in the 2026 World Cup.

Colombia once again had 33-year-old Rodríguez to thank, as he delivered a perfect cross to Mosquera, who headed the ball in to score the first goal, equalling Carlos Valderrama’s record of 11 assists in South American World Cup qualifying.

A mistake by Rodríguez allowed Argentina to equalise when Nico González took the ball from him and shot past goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.

But Rodríguez made up for his mistake by beating the outstanding penalty keeper Dibu Martínez and equalling Falcao García’s record of 13 goals in World Cup qualifying.

Argentine strikers Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez have not been able to pose as much of a threat as they do when the experienced Messi is there to create chances for them.

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AP Football: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer