Davinson Sánchez and Jhon Córdoba scored within three minutes of each other in the second half, sending Colombia to the Copa America quarterfinals with a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica on Friday.
Colombia maintained possession (62%) for the second consecutive game and held a 1-0 lead at halftime courtesy of Luis Díaz’s penalty kick in the 31st minute.
Los Cafeteros continued to apply pressure after the break, delivering a commanding performance in front of 27,386 enthusiastic Colombian supporters at State Farm Stadium. Colombia outshot Costa Rica 14-5 and will face Brazil on Tuesday in Santa Clara, California, to conclude the group stage.
Colombia has now won 10 consecutive matches and remains undefeated in 25 games (20-0-5) since their last defeat in a World Cup qualifier against Argentina in 2022. Costa Rica did not manage a shot on goal in this match.
“Today, we dominated the game from start to finish,” remarked Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo through an interpreter.
Costa Rica had surprised the tournament with a scoreless draw against nine-time Copa America champion Brazil despite being outshot 18-2.
However, Los Ticos faced another tough challenge against a strong opponent in the desert, and the match did not go as well for the youngest squad in the tournament.
“The opposition clearly showed their superiority,” commented Costa Rica coach Gustavo Alfaro.
Colombia had controlled possession (66%) in their opening 2-1 victory over Paraguay and had an early dominance in ball possession against Costa Rica.
Díaz had the first notable opportunity in the fifth minute, narrowly missing the crossbar with a header. James Rodríguez then tested the Costa Rican goalkeeper with a shot on target in the 20th minute, but Patrick Sequeira made a diving save to deny him.
