Colombia triumphed 3-0 over Venezuela in the qualifying phase for the 2022 World Cup on Friday night, but a horror injury for Santiago Arias overshadowed the victory in Baranquilla. After only a few minutes after a duel with Darwin Machis, the right defender got seriously injured in his left ankle and was in pain. Many players could not bear the appearance of the ankle and burst into tears.

Machis received a red card from the referee on duty, but after interference from the VAR, this card was withdrawn. Arias is expected to be on the sidelines for four to six months, media in Colombia write. The Colombian’s long absence is also a hard blow for Peter Bosz’s Bayer Leverkusen. Arias made the switch on loan from Atlético Madrid to Bayer, where he has played once so far.

Colombia, with John Medina in the place of Arias, showed in the remainder of the match why they are one of the favorites to finish in the first four in the qualifying phase. After sixteen minutes of play, Duván Zapata cashed in on a low pass from Juan Cuadrado and ten minutes Johan Mojica thundered through the Venezuelan defense, after which Luis Muriel scored the second goal of the evening with the right.

In the extra time of the first half, Muriel scored again: he showed Jhon Chancellor his heels and outwitted Wuilker Fariñez with a hard shot. In the second half, Colombia was unable to expand the score further. It was the first international match for national coach José Peseiro. Predecessor Rafael Dudamel left at the beginning of the year after a dispute with the Colombian Football Association.