Colombia secured a 3-0 victory over Bolivia on Saturday to conclude its Copa America preparations on a positive note. Conversely, the Verde team’s final encounter prior to the continental competition was a disaster, resulting in three player suspensions.
The team captained by Argentine Néstor Lorenzo annihilated their opponents at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. The triumph was secured by goals from winger Luis Díaz, forward Jhon Córdoba, and midfielder Jhon Arias.
The coffee producers assumed control from the outset and initiated harm through their partnerships and pressure.
Arias scored in the fifth minute by intercepting the ball from the opponent’s departure and launching a right-footed shot. Díaz adeptly dispatched numerous opponents; however, he lost the ball in the vicinity.
In the interim, the Bolivians encountered difficulty in distributing the ball to forwards Bruno Miranda and César Menacho, who appeared infrequently.
Colombia scored 2-0 in the 25th minute after Díaz sent a low cross to Córdoba from Krasnodar. Córdoba received the ball with his back turned and took a shot that Guillermo Viscarra couldn’t stop.
In the first half, the sole chance for Brazilian Antonio Carlos Zago’s team came in the 35th minute, when Fernando Saucedo took a powerful shot that was stopped by Camilo Vargas.
In the 42nd minute, Colombian winger Deiver Machado passed to Díaz, who took advantage of a defender to score 3-0.
The coffee farmers slowed the tempo of the game in the second half, and the Verde hardly had a chance with a cross from full-back Roberto Fernández that Diego Medina almost put in the back of the net, but he couldn’t finish cleanly.
In the 67th minute, defender Héctor Cuéllar launched a hard attack on Díaz, resulting in a confrontation on the pitch between players from both teams.
Mexican referee Daniel Quintero dismissed Colombian full-back Daniel Muñoz and Bolivian attacker Menacho after a scuffle.
The final score stayed unchanged, and both teams’ preparations for the continental championship were complete.
Bolivia will make its Copa América debut on Sunday 23 against the United States at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Texas), while Colombia will play its first match the next day against Paraguay at the NRG Stadium in Houston.
