Group C. The weakest group – Paraguay, Colombia, and Bolivia. They played in Rosario and nobody was interested… only 8000 attended the group matches, most of them Paraguayans. Attendance was quite low in the whole championship, but the anti-record belonged to this group: only 1000 bothered to watch Colombia – Bolivia.
Bolivia
1-Luis Galarza (Club The Strongest- La Paz)
2 Romer Antonio Roca (Club Oriente Petrolero- Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
3-Miguel Noro (Club Blooming- Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
4-Felix Vera (Club Jorge Wilstermann- Cochabamba)
5-Rolando Coimbra (Club Blooming- Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
6-Eduardo Villegas (Club The Strongest- La Paz)
7- Marciano Saldias (Club Oriente Petrolero- Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
8-Milton Melgar (Club Atlético Boca Juniors -Buenos Aires / Argentina)
9-Federico Justiniano (Club Destroyers- Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
10-Carlos Borja (Club Bolívar Independiente Unificada-Lapaz)
11-Wilson Avila (Club Oriente Petrolero- Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
12-Marcos Barrero (Club Jorge Wilstermann- Cochabamba)
13 Mauricio Ramos (Florida)
14-Rolly Paniagua (Club Blooming- Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
15-Alvaro Peña (Club Blooming- Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
16-Oscar Ramírez (Club Oriente Petrolero- Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
17 -Víctor Hugo Antelo (Club Oriente Petrolero- Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
18-Carlos Arias (Captain) (Club Bolívar Independiente Unificada-Lapaz)
19-Gaston Taborga (Club Blooming- Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
20 Silvio Rojas (Club Blooming- Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
Coach: Nito Osvaldo Vega (Argentina)
Outsiders nobody worried about – good, bad, it was just their own concern.
Colombia
1-Rene Higuita (Corporacion Deportiva Club Atletico Nacional- Medellin (Itagüí))
2-Luis Perea (Corporacion Deportiva Independiente Medellín)
3-Nolberto Molina (Corporacion Deportiva Club Atletico Nacional- Medellin (Itagüí))
4-Luis Herrera (Corporacion Deportiva Club Atletico Nacional- Medellin (Itagüí))
5-Carlos Mario Hoyos (Asociacion Deportivo Cali)
6-Ricardo Pérez (Corporacion Deportiva Club Atletico Nacional- Medellin (Itagüí))
7-Anthony De Avila (Corporacion Deportiva America-Cali)
8-Leonel Alvarez (Corporacion Deportiva Independiente Medellín)
9-John Jairo Galeano (Corporacion Deportiva Club Atletico Nacional- Medellin (Itagüí))
10-Carlos Valderrama (Captain) (Asociacion Deportivo Cali)
11-Bernardo Redín (Asociacion Deportivo Cali)
12 Mario Jimenez (Deportes Quindío)
13-John Jairo Tréllez (Corporacion Deportiva Club Atletico Nacional- Medellin (Itagüí))
14-Alexis Mendoza (Corporacion Popular Deportiva Junior- Barranquilla)
15-Sergio Angulo (Asociacion Deportivo Cali)
16-Jorge Porras (Corporacion Deportiva America-Cali)
17-Mario Coll (Corporacion Popular Deportiva Junior- Barranquilla)
18-Gabriel Jaime Gómez (Club Deportivo Los Millonarios- Santafé de Bogotá)
19-Arnoldo Iguarán (Club Deportivo Los Millonarios- Santafé de Bogotá)
20-Alexander Escobar (Corporacion Deportiva America-Cali)
Coach: Francisco Maturana
Now, Colombia had some already noticed young stars – Valderama and Higuita – but tradition worked against them: not among the favourites.
Paraguay.
1-Roberto Fernández (Asociacion Deportivo Cali / Colombia)
2- Juan Bautista Torales (Club Libertad- Asunción)
3-Rogelio Delgado (Club Olimpia- Asunción)
4-Justo Jacquet (Club Cerro Porteño- Asunción)
5-Cesar Zabala (Club Cerro Porteño- Asunción)
6- Jorge Guasch (Club Olimpia- Asunción)
7- Julio Cesar ‘Romerito’ Romero (Fluminense Football Club- Rio de Janeiro / Brazil)
8-Gustavo Adolfo Benitez (Club Olimpia- Asunción)
9- Roberto Cabaňas (Corporacion Deportiva America-Cali / Colombia)
10-Adolfino Cañete (Asociacion Deportiva Union Magdalena – Santa Marta / Colombia)
11- Ramon Angel Hicks (Centre D’Esports Sabadell Fútbol Club / Spain)
12- Raúl Navarro (Nacional)
13- Virginio Caceres (Club Guaraní- Asunción)
14- Librado Rodriguez (Atlético Colegiales)
15 -Marcelino Blanco (Sol de América)
16- Ramon Eurelio Palacios (Club Libertad- Asunción)
17-Buenaventura Ferreira (Club Guaraní- Asunción)
18-Felix Torres (Club Sol de América- Asunción)
19-Gabriel González (Club Cerro Porteño- Asunción)
20-Jorge Nunes (Club Olimpia- Asunción)
21- Rafael Bobadilla (Club Deportivo Los Millonarios- Santafé de Bogotá / Colombia)
22- Carlos Colarte (Sol de América)
Coach: Silvio Parodi
With memories not so bad from the 1986 World Cup and led by Romero and Cabanas, Paraguay was the likeliest winner of the group, but the team was getting old and without strong younger generation.
In front of 2000 Paraguay and Bolivia finished 0-0.
Bolivia finished the tournament as expected: Colombia beat them 2-0 – only 1000 attended. Three players were red-carded. Suddenly Paraguay had to win by 3 goals in order to qualify, but the aging team was unpleasantly surprised.
Paraguayan efforts were fruitless.
‘Pibe’ Valderama shined.
Arnaldo Iguaran scored a hat-trick. In the 50th minute the game was over, Paraguay was eliminated and Colombia was the pleasant surprise of the championship already.
1. Colombia 2 0 0 5-0 4
2. Bolivia 0 1 1 0-2 1
3. Paraguay 0 1 1 0-3 1