Díaz also had a reward and scored in the 41st minute, after discounting several rivals in the rival area.
The win confirms Colombia – undefeated for 24 games – as a candidate to surprise the favorites Argentina and Brazil in the continental tournament. The coffee growers will debut in the Cup on June 24 against Paraguay, then they will face Costa Rica and Brazil, rivals that complete Group D.
Diaz intractable
The Bolivians were nervous from the opening whistle, with goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra forced to make an awkward rebound with his feet on the first play of the game. A warning of what would come later.
Before the fifth minute of play, the ‘green’ defense gave a ball to the most dangerous of the coffee growers, the winger Luis Díaz, who entered the area with the ball dominated and was disarmed while charging a shot with his right leg. Fortunately for Colombia, Jhon Arias followed the action closely and was able to capture the rebound to make it 1-0.
Those led by Brazilian Carlos Zago collapsed and looked helpless against the offensive combinations of Díaz, James Rodríguez and center forward Jhon Córdoba, who scored the second of the night with a low shot thanks to a pass of death from Díaz.
After half an hour of absolute dominance, Colombia relaxed and Bolivia settled into the rival field. Midfielder Fernando Saucedo had the clearest option with a powerful free kick that was rejected by goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.
Saucedo’s shot only served to wake up Colombia, which responded almost immediately with an advance down the left wing. Once again, ‘Lucho’ Díaz entered the Bolivian area, eluded several rivals and, now, defined with his right foot to score the third.
Not friendly at all
At halftime, Argentine coach Néstor Lorenzo gave a rest to the scorers Arias and Córdoba to give space to River attacker Miguel Borja and the promising Yaser Asprilla.
Those admitted, however, could not shine in a match that was marred by the strong leg of the Bolivians. After the hour mark, winger Héctor Cuellar brutally punished Díaz with a kick from behind that sparked a brawl on the field. Colombian Daniel Muñoz and Bolivian César Menacho exchanged blows and were sent off, while Cuellar only saw yellow.
After the brutal kick, Lorenzo removed Díaz from the field and lowered the curtain on the game, reserving his strength for the continental event.
“The good thing begins now. As I say: Fire! We have a couple of days to get well, even better,” the coffee captain, James Rodríguez, harangued after the game, who reached the figure of 100 games with his team.
