Argentina 0-5 Colombia: The Night the Monumental Applauded the Enemy (1993)
Argentina 0-5 Colombia was the scoreline at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on Sunday 5 September 1993, when Colombia thrashed Argentina in a 1994 World Cup qualifier and handed the hosts their first ever home loss in a World Cup qualifier. Freddy Rincon (41, 62) and Faustino Asprilla (49, 64) each scored twice and Adolfo Valencia struck the fifth on 84 minutes. According to FIFA, the furious home crowd ended up applauding Colombia’s football, one of the most extraordinary results in our On This Day series.
What follows is how five goals without reply unfolded at the Monumental, why the result reshaped a World Cup, and where it left both Colombia’s golden generation and a Maradona-less Argentina.
Key Facts
- Played on Sunday 5 September 1993 at the Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, in the South American qualifying group for the 1994 World Cup.
- Colombia won 5-0. Freddy Rincon scored on 41 and 62 minutes, Faustino Asprilla on 49 and 64, and Adolfo Valencia on 84, with Carlos Valderrama setting up the opener.
- According to FIFA, no team had ever beaten Argentina at home in a World Cup qualifier before this, and the result ended a 33-game unbeaten run.
- Colombia finished the group unbeaten on 10 points (four wins, two draws), scoring 13 and conceding two, and qualified directly for USA 94, as RSSSF’s tables show.
- Diego Maradona did not play, sidelined by a drug ban and left to watch from the seats; Sergio Goycochea, the penalty-saving hero of Italia 90, kept goal for Argentina.
- Argentina, second on seven points, dropped into an intercontinental play-off against Australia; manager Alfio Basile responded by recalling Maradona, and they edged the tie 2-1 on aggregate.
- The home crowd applauded Colombia from the pitch and rose to a standing ovation, as FIFA and theScore both reported.
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The Night the Monumental Turned on Argentina
A Golden Generation Arrives in Buenos Aires
Colombia arrived in Buenos Aires as the coming force of South American football, coached by Francisco Maturana and built around the unhurried passing of Carlos Valderrama, the pace of Faustino Asprilla and the driving power of Freddy Rincon. Argentina, coached by Alfio Basile, had a home record that read like a fortress, their qualifying record on home soil unblemished, as Planet Football notes. They also lined up without Diego Maradona, who was serving a drug ban and could only sit in the seats, according to Planet Football’s account of the night. In goal stood Sergio Goycochea, the penalty-saving hero of Italia 90, and even he could do nothing about what came next.
Inside Argentina 0-5 Colombia: Five Goals, No Reply
The opening 40 minutes gave the hosts no warning. Then, on 41 minutes, Valderrama slipped a pass through for Rincon, who raced clear, rounded Goycochea and finished, as theScore described it. Four minutes into the second half Rincon turned provider, lifting a ball to Asprilla for 0-2, and the Monumental began to sense something historic. Rincon added his second on 62 and Asprilla his second on 64, a looping finish into the far corner, before Adolfo Valencia poked in the fifth on 84 minutes. Colombia had scored five without reply, a rout in the fullest sense.
| Minute | Scorer | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Freddy Rincon | Colombia | 0-1 |
| 49 | Faustino Asprilla | Colombia | 0-2 |
| 62 | Freddy Rincon | Colombia | 0-3 |
| 64 | Faustino Asprilla | Colombia | 0-4 |
| 84 | Adolfo Valencia | Colombia | 0-5 |
How the rout unfolded:
- 41′ Valderrama releases Rincon, who rounds Goycochea for 0-1.
- 49′ Rincon turns provider and Asprilla makes it 0-2.
- 62′ Rincon strikes again for 0-3.
- 64′ Asprilla loops in his second, 0-4.
- 84′ Valencia pokes home the fifth, 0-5.
- FT The Monumental rises to give Colombia a standing ovation.
What the Rout Meant
The scale of the win settled the South American group. Colombia finished unbeaten on 10 points from four wins and two draws, with 13 goals scored and only two conceded, and qualified directly for the 1994 World Cup, as RSSSF’s tables record. Argentina, second on seven points, were forced into an intercontinental play-off against Australia. According to FIFA, Basile bowed to the clamour and recalled Maradona for the two legs, and La Albiceleste squeezed through 2-1 on aggregate. As These Football Times records, no side would repeat the trick for another 16 years, Brazil finally winning a qualifier in Rosario in 2009, which only sharpened how strange the night at the Monumental had been.
For Colombia, the 5-0 was supposed to be a beginning. They travelled to USA 94 among the favourites, Pele included, who said before the tournament, “For me Colombia is the best team,” as Planet Football recorded. Instead they fell at the group stage, beaten by Romania and the United States, a collapse that turned this Buenos Aires high into a cruel prelude.
READ MORE: The rise and fall of Diego Maradona, the man Argentina turned back to, in our Maradona film →
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Argentina 0-5 Colombia (1993)
What was the score in Argentina v Colombia on 5 September 1993?
Argentina lost 0-5 to Colombia at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on Sunday 5 September 1993. Freddy Rincon and Faustino Asprilla each scored twice and Adolfo Valencia added the fifth. It was a 1994 World Cup qualifier and, according to FIFA, the first time Argentina had ever been beaten at home in a qualifier for the World Cup.
Who scored in Argentina 0-5 Colombia in 1993?
Freddy Rincon scored twice, on 41 and 62 minutes, and Faustino Asprilla twice, on 49 and 64, before Adolfo Valencia made it 0-5 on 84 minutes. Carlos Valderrama set up Rincon’s opener with a pass through the Argentina defence. FIFA lists the goals as Rincon 41 and 62, Asprilla 49 and 64, and Valencia 84.
Where was Argentina 0-5 Colombia played?
Argentina 0-5 Colombia was played at the Estadio Monumental, the home of River Plate in Buenos Aires, on 5 September 1993. It was a South American qualifier for the 1994 World Cup, with Argentina as the home side. The stadium held one of the more remarkable scenes in the fixture’s history when the crowd began cheering the visitors.
Was Argentina 0-5 Colombia Argentina’s first home World Cup qualifying defeat?
Yes. According to FIFA, the 5-0 loss to Colombia on 5 September 1993 was the first time Argentina had ever been beaten at home in a World Cup qualifier, and it ended a 33-game unbeaten run. Planet Football records that their qualifying record on home soil had been spotless until then. As These Football Times notes, the next such defeat did not arrive for another 16 years, when Brazil won in Rosario in 2009.
Did the Argentina crowd really applaud Colombia?
Yes. FIFA reported that a Monumental crowd furious with their own side turned to roar every Colombian pass, and theScore records that the home supporters gave Colombia a standing ovation. It remains one of the most unusual crowd reactions in international football. Colombia were applauded from the pitch having secured their World Cup place.
Was Diego Maradona playing for Argentina in the 5-0 defeat?
No. Diego Maradona did not play in Argentina 0-5 Colombia; he was serving a drug ban and could only watch from the seats, according to Planet Football. His absence became the story of the aftermath, as manager Alfio Basile faced growing calls to bring him back. Maradona was duly recalled for the play-off against Australia that Argentina still needed to reach the finals.
Did Colombia qualify for the 1994 World Cup after beating Argentina 5-0?
Yes. The 5-0 win in Buenos Aires confirmed Colombia’s place at USA 94 as group winners. As RSSSF’s tables show, Colombia finished the South American group unbeaten on 10 points, with 13 goals scored and two conceded. theScore records that, once the goals flowed, Colombia realised their World Cup place was already secure.
What happened to Argentina after losing 0-5 to Colombia?
Argentina finished second in the group on seven points and were forced into an intercontinental play-off against Australia. According to FIFA, Alfio Basile recalled Diego Maradona for the two legs, and Argentina came through 2-1 on aggregate to reach the 1994 World Cup. The defeat cost Argentina their unbeaten home qualifying record but not their place in the finals.
What did Pele say about Colombia after the win over Argentina?
Ahead of the 1994 World Cup, Pele named Colombia as his favourites, saying, “For me Colombia is the best team,” as Planet Football recorded. The 5-0 win over Argentina had made Colombia’s golden generation the neutral’s tip for the tournament. They went out in the group stage, which made the prediction one of the great World Cup misfires.
Who was in Colombia’s team for the 5-0 win over Argentina?
Colombia’s side was led by their golden generation: playmaker Carlos Valderrama, forward Faustino Asprilla, midfielder Freddy Rincon and striker Adolfo Valencia, who between them scored and made the goals. Valderrama set up Rincon’s opener, and Rincon, Asprilla and Valencia shared the five goals. They were coached by Francisco Maturana and had built a reputation as one of the most watchable teams in world football.
Who was in goal for Argentina in the 0-5 defeat?
Sergio Goycochea, the goalkeeper who had saved penalties to carry Argentina to the 1990 World Cup final, was in goal for the 0-5 loss to Colombia. theScore describes Rincon rounding Goycochea for the opening goal. Even one of the era’s most celebrated shot-stoppers could not stem the five that followed at the Monumental.
Why is Argentina 0-5 Colombia still remembered?
Argentina 0-5 Colombia is remembered as Argentina’s heaviest home humiliation in World Cup qualifying and the peak of Colombia’s golden generation. The scoreline, the home crowd’s standing ovation for the visitors, and Pele’s tip that Colombia would win USA 94 combined into one of football’s most quoted nights. That the tip failed at the group stage only deepened the legend of 5 September 1993.
Argentina 0-5 Colombia (1993)
A fortress home record, a golden generation at its peak and a crowd that ended up applauding the team tearing its own apart: 5 September 1993 gave South American football one of its most astonishing nights, and set Colombia up as the World Cup’s great nearly men. For more results that rewrote the record books, from qualifying shocks to tournament turning points, keep exploring our On This Day series and the channel.
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