The overriding reaction in Argentina on Tuesday was one of relief. After four World Cup 2018 qualifiers without a win, the national team's 3-0 victory over Colombia didn’t just lift them back into fifth in the CONMEBOL group—the play-off spot for progression to the tournament in Russia—it also restored a measure of belief.
With most struggling nations, there is an underlying thought that it might simply be the players. Maybe this particular generation just isn’t good enough. Argentina doesn’t have that. This generation lost in the final of the World Cup in 2014. It lost in the final of the Copa America in 2015.