Looking back at Colombia's historic thrashing of Argentina in 1993

"I knew then we'd made history. No one had ever beat Argentina 5-0. We had qualified for the World Cup." - Carlos Valderrama

Entering the final matchday of South America's qualifying campaign for the 1994 World Cup, Colombia and Argentina were level on points and set to meet at the hostile Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.

Only one national team could advance directly to the World Cup, and Colombia - who had defeated Argentina in the reverse fixture less than a month earlier - held the better goal difference, meaning a draw would be enough for Francisco "Pacho" Maturana's side to qualify.

Of course, it wasn't that simple, as La Albiceleste had never lost a World Cup qualifier at home, had just won the Copa America, and had gone undefeated in 33 games.

Upon arriving in Argentina, Los Cafeteros received an insulting welcome at the airport, being subjected to abuse related to the political conflict that was marking one of the most violent eras in Colombian history at the time.

"They'd yell, 'Drug dealer! Drug dealer!' just because we were Colombian," Maturana recalled in the documentary "The Two Escobars." "Colombia was always associated with drugs, with Pablo Escobar, and so on. That hurts. Because we're not all evil like the world thinks."

What transpired on the pitch completely altered the Argentinian public perception.

Argentina 0, Colombia 1: Looking to change its country's image, Colombia did an excellent job of absorbing Argentina's early pressure and subsequently opened the scoring just before the interval, when Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama produced a moment of genius and played a pass the speedy Freddy Rincon slotted home after dribbling around 'keeper Sergio Goycochea.

Argentina 0, Colombia 2: Los Cafeteros refused to let down in the second half. In the 49th minute, Rincon turned from goalscorer to playmaker and sent a wonderful aerial ball to the diminutive Faustino Asprilla, who laid the ball down, shook off a defender with some surreal footwork, and doubled Colombia's lead.

Argentina 0, Colombia 3: As the supporters at the Estadio Monumental attempted to process what they were witnessing, Colombia delivered further disbelief when Rincon volleyed home his second goal of the match following some phenomenal individual skill from the long-haired Leonel Alvarez.

Argentina 0, Colombia 4: At this point, Colombia knew they had qualified for the World Cup. There was no chance of Argentina coming back. Nonetheless, that didn't stop Asprilla from producing what is regarded by many as the greatest goal ever scored in Colombian football. After Valderrama and Alvarez had forced Argentina back into its own half, Asprilla pounced on defender Jorge Borelli, stripped him of possession, and proceeded to lift the ball over Goyochea in jaw-dropping fashion.

Euclides Montes of the Guardian explained just why the goal was so iconic:

The way his speedy sprint suddenly came to an almost slow-mo crawl, the way he turned his body to lift the ball over the Argentinian goalkeeper, the weight of the curl, the arc the ball took through the air, the celebratory scrum that just seemed to keep growing on the side of the pitch - these are all elements that make that goal stand out. It was a beautiful piece of skill that flattered to deceive in its simplicity.

Argentina 0, Colombia 5: Colombia's fourth goal triggered something that seemed unimaginable beforehand: supporters of Argentina, enraged by their national team's display, began cheering for Colombia, shouting each time Los Cafeteros touched the ball. Against this backdrop, Adolfo "El Tren" Valencia got his name on the scoreboard, poking the ball into the back of the net after Asprilla danced his way though a pair of Argentinian defenders.

The final whistle triggered an emotional moment. In stark contrast to the reception Colombia received upon arriving in Argentina, supporters gave Los Cafeteros a standing ovation, acknowledging that they had genuinely accomplished something that would be forever remembered in South America.

"When we scored the third, fourth, and fifth goals I looked at Pacho and said to him, 'We're in for it now,'" said then-assistant coach Hernan Dario Gomez after the match.

"They (the media) were going to start saying we were the best team in the world. If we'd have lost they would have said we were the world's worst, but that 5-0 scoreline worried me because there was no sense of perspective in the country."

Conversely, then-Argentina manager Alfio Basile expressed words of a more suicidal variety after the game, saying: "I never want to think about that match again. It was a crime against nature, a day when I wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury myself in it."