New Delhi: Colombia makes its third appearance in the Copa America 2024 final and first in 23 years. With their semi-final win against Uruguay, they extended their unbeaten streak to 28 games on the international stage. They must beat Argentina in the finals to bring home their second Copa trophy.
In this tournament, Colombia scored 12 goals and conceded only twice. When Nestor Lorenzo took over from Reinaldo Rueda, the team had failed to qualify for the World Cup. Although Lorenzo didn’t receive a warm welcome from the Colombians, he has been able to unite the team and play to their strengths. They have been impressive over the last two and a half years, beating big teams like Spain and Germany in friendlies.
In the previous edition, Colombia finished third after losing the semi-finals to Argentina in spot-kicking. Argentina, at the time, had a three-year winning streak and went on to win the tournament. Every Colombian will be hoping for redemption against the biggest contender for the trophy.
Group Stages
Colombia started their campaign against Paraguay in Group D. In the 32nd minute; Daniel Munoz opened their goal for the team when James Rodriguez flighted a pinpoint cross to the far post. 10 minutes later, the goal was doubled by Jefferson Lerma. Though Panama scored in the second half, Los Cafeteros ensured it didn’t matter much to them.
In their second match, Colombia produced an even more dominant performance with their 3-0 win over Costa Rica. Colombia was in fantastic control of the game with 62% possession. They went into halftime with a Luis Diaz penalty kick in the 31st minute keeping the score 1-0. They ended the game with two more goals, which came within three minutes of each other. The win also ensured that Colombia qualified for the elimination stage.
The final group game saw Colombia take on Brazil, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Until that game, they had won ten games in a row. Still, Los Cafeteros finished the group at the top of Group D.
Quarter-finals vs Panama
It was a nightmare for Panama to face one of the most in-form and ruthless sides like Colombia. Colombia scored their first goal against Panama in eight minutes and the next one in seven minutes, thanks to a powerful penalty kick from James Rodriguez. Luis Diaz ensured in the 41st minute that his side went into half-time with the score reading 3-0 after another set-up from Rodriguez.
Starting with the same zeal, Colombia’s fourth goal in the 70th minute from Richard Rios’ right foot into the bottom left corner of the net. The final goal came in stoppage time, with Miguel Borja converting the spot kick, ending the night 5-0.
Semi-final vs Uruguay
In a game that saw seven yellow cards and one red card, Colombia were on the back foot. After Lerma scored the only goal in the 39th minute, Daniel Munoz received his second yellow card. The Colombian team started the second half with just 10 men. The final whistle saw the team go for its third America final.
Final against Argentina
Lionel Messi’s Argentina are the defending champions chasing their third consecutive major trophy. They are making their 30th Copa America final appearance and have won the tournament 15 times. In this edition, they have won all five games despite their star player missing most of the tournament.
Colombia is chasing its second Copa America trophy. Along with Lerma, Jhon Cordoba, Luis Diaz, and Daniel Munoz have each scored two goals in the tournament. Rodriguez turned up with fresh energy, providing six assists and one goal to his name. The 33-year-old has been impressive for his country as always. Colombia has all the resources to cause an upset to Argentina.
Colombia are chasing their second Copa America trophy after beating Uruguay 1-0 in the semi-final. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
