ANDl The debut of the Colombian National Team had been with a 2-1 victory, at times with doubts, over Paraguay and thus assumed the leadership of the zone in which Brazil is., which surprisingly tied without goals with Costa Rica. Precisely, the second presentation of the Colombians was against the Costa Ricans and this time the victory was not only overwhelming, it was also full of brilliance and arguments to put it as a candidate for the 2024 Copa América title.
This time State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, was not full and it is normal because this sector is not the one with the largest Colombian population.However, the vast majority of fans were with ‘la Tricolor’ and enjoyed the 3-0 win with goals from Luis Díaz, Davinson Sánchez and Jhon Córdoba. Furthermore, with goals and plays The controversy of the previous hours was settled, due to some statements by Colombian players that the Ticos did not like..
Costa Rica did not resist much and Colombia went ahead in the first half
There were a couple of surprises in the headline because It was believed that Yerry Mina was going to replace the injured Jhon Janer Lucumí, but it was Carlos Cuesta who entered the 11th. While he spoke of an annoyance by Rafael Santos Borré and was replaced by Jhon Córdoba.
At the start, the Costa Rican team tried to stand higher than in the game with Brazil, as well as putting one more offensive player in the middle, but their measures were not enough and they began to cut Colombia down with strong play and repetitive fouls. Even so, It only took 6 minutes for the Colombians to create danger with a cross from Daniel Muñoz and a header from Díaz.
The match continued to be interrupted, cut and with little rhythm, but Colombia with the ball and positioned in rival territory due to its offensive game and the pressure to prevent the Central Americans from leaving. Well, at 20 minutes Díaz went over the top and put a pass on the edge of the area that James defined, but Goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira made a miraculous save and stifled the goal cry of the ’10’.
The Colombian goal could be seen coming, this time, Córdoba won a cross from James in the air and Díaz was unable to correct the destination of the ball to score. Although in a similar corner play Costa Rica created danger with a shot by Warren Madrigal, it was the only thing they had in the first half and that gave the ‘Tricolor’ a wake-up call and attacked with more danger.
Arriving at the half-hour mark, the deep pass was given so that Córdoba forced the confusion of the Costa Rican defense, which had a hasty exit from goalkeeper Sequeira and it was a very clear foul. Although it seemed that the penalty was not awarded,or was James Rodríguez going to execute, gave confidence to Luis Díaz to execute to the upper right corner and thus the 1-0 arrived.
The goal left Costa Rica’s plan in tatters and confusion began to appear in the back, which is why In the last minutes there were 2 very clear goal actions after side ballsbut they were left to Davinson Sánchez and he could not mark the increase in the score before the end of the first half.
Colombia defeated Costa Rica and qualified in the second half
For the complement there were changes on both sides, The entry of Matheus Uribe for Richard Ríos was logical because the Palmeiras midfielder was reprimanded and was not playing his best gameIn addition, Joel Campbell and Joseph Mora joined Gustavo Alfaro’s team, seeking to change history and come back.
But the change of plans only opened up the Costa Rican defense more and in a combination of James, Córdoba and Díaz, the latter left the defenders on the ground, but made one play too many and that’s why they lost their chance to score a double. It seemed that Colombia was slowing down the pace and letting their rival wake up, like when they beat the Paraguayans 2-0 on the first daybut the ball appeared still and everything was joy.
Although Rodríguez’s precision was the most risky, on a corner kick cross from Jhon Arias, the only one of the attacking players who had not shone, the assist came for Davinson Sánchez got up and made it 2-0 after 60 minutes. The celebration was special, since The center took off the shirt of the injured Lucumí and pointed at him in the stands to dedicate the goal to him.
In an exit from the bottom of the same author of the second goal, there was a stop at the feet of James and with his right hand he enabled Jhon Córdoba to get behind the defenders, confront the rival goalkeeper and seal the final 3-0 with a powerful shot that went into the back of the goal with 28 to go. The only negative is that the forward He took off his shirt and took the yellow one, being conditioned for the match against Brazil.
At 70 minutes it was time to think about the next game and with the classification in the bag, Lorenzo made 4 changes between the 72nd and 77th minutes. Yaser Asprilla, Kevin Castaño, Rafael Santos Borré and Jhon Jader Durán entered, while James Rodríguez, Jefferson Lerma, Luis Díaz, and Jhon Córdoba left. Everyone received a standing ovation, but James and ‘Lucho’ were the most acclaimed by the ‘La Tricolor’ fans.
And in the middle of the game resolved and with a sufficient advantage, Asprilla and Durán had chances to score, but the definitions were wasted and the last minutes were of management, Touching the ball across the field and dancing to celebrate qualification for the quarter-finals.
When do Colombia and Brazil play for the lead in Group D of the Copa América 2024?
After Colombia’s victory against Costa Rica and Brazil’s thrashing of Paraguay, ‘la Tricolor’ and ‘la Verdeamarela’ will compete for first and second place on the last date. Although the Ticos also have a distant hope if they beat the Paraguayans by a landslide and the same thing happens to the Colombians against the Brazilians.
- Date 3: Colombia vs. Brazil
Stadium: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
Date and time: Tuesday, July 2 – 8:00 pm (Colombia time) Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
TV Channel: Caracol Televisión, Canal RCN and DSports
Link to watch online: Gol Caracol Page – RCN Football Page – DGO
