3-1: Colombia dances to the tune of Luis Díaz
Luis Diaz (29) shone in Bogotá by scoring a goal and serving another in the 3-1 victory of Colombia about Costa Rica with which the South Americans said goodbye to their audience to travel to the United States, where they will continue their preparation for the 2026 World Cup. At the El Campín stadium in the Colombian capital, Argentine Néstor Lorenzo’s students took the lead with a goal from center back Davinson Sánchez and another from Díaz, while the Central Americans scored one goal from Andrey Soto. The final 3-1 was the work of attacker Luis Suárez, scorer for Portuguese Sporting.
The first minutes of the game were very fought in the middle of the field, where neither team managed to impose conditions and the game was cut short. The visitors came closer in a play in which the attacker Mandfred Ugarte received in the area, turned and took a shot that passed near the left post of Camilo Vargas.
However, the Colombians gained confidence, began to play closer to the goal and opened the scoring in the 17th minute on a corner kick taken by Díaz in which Sánchez anticipated his marker and sent the ball home with a header. The 2-0 came in the 23rd minute when center back Fernán Faerron lost a ball on the way out due to pressure from winger Carlos Andrés Gómez, who enabled the creative Jorge Carrascal, who passed the ball to Díaz to score with a cross shot.
The goals woke up the Ticos, who came closer with a mid-range shot by Ugalde in the 26th minute, which was saved without major difficulties by Colombian Camilo Vargas. Costa Rica’s goal came in the 33rd minute in a very good team play in which midfielder Orlando Galo sent a cross that was headed at the far post by attacker Josimar Alcocer to enable Soto, who with another header overcame the resistance of the local goalkeeper.
James Rodríguez entered and assisted
As in the first half, the game started very short in the second half, despite the fact that James Rodríguez entered Colombia. The fouls of both teams did not allow the match to pick up pace, although the Central American team stood in the territory of Colombia, which tried to do damage on the counterattack with the speed of Díaz and Luis Suárez, who entered for Juan Camilo ‘Cucho’ Hernández.
Costa Rica was about to tie in the 62nd minute in a play in which the Colombian winger Johan Mojica made a mistake in marking and the ball was left alone on the edge of the area to Galo, who took a shot that was cleared on the goal line by the center back Willer Ditta.
TECHNICAL SHEET
3 – Colombia: Camilo Vargas (m.74, David Ospina); Santiago Arias (m.89, Daniel Muñoz), Davinson Sánchez (m.46, Jhon Lucumí), Willer Ditta (m.74, Yerry Mina), Johan Mojica (m.74, Deiver Machado); Gustavo Puerta (m.67, Juan Camilo Portilla), Richard Ríos (m.67, Kevin Castaño), Jorge Carrascal (m.46, James Rodríguez); Luis Díaz (m.74, Juan Fernando Quintero), Carlos Andrés Gómez (m.46, Jhon Arias) and Juan Camilo Hernández (m.46, Luis Suárez).
1 – Costa Rica: Patrick Sequeira; Haxzel Quirós (m.61, Álvaro Zamora), Jeyland Mitchell, Fernán Faerron; David Araya, Aarón Salazar, Orlando Galo, Andrey Soto (d.61, Chirstopher Núñez), Carlos Mora; Manfred Ugalde (m.77, Luis Flores) and Josimar Alcocer (m.83, Orlando Sinclair).
Goals: 1-0, Davinson Sánchez (m. 17); 2-0, Luis Díaz (m. 23); 2-1, Andrey Soto (m. 33); 3-1, Luis Suárez (m. 82)
Referee: the Ecuadorian Guillermo Guerrero. He cautioned Fernán Faerrón, Willer Ditta, Jeyland Mitchell and Richard Ríos.
Incidents: friendly match played at the El Campín stadium in Bogotá
The final 3-1 came in the 82nd minute in a great play by James, who filtered a pass for Suárez, who gained position from the rival centre-back with his body and took a shot that was impossible for Sequeira to save. Colombia thus said goodbye to its fans and this week will travel to the United States to play its last World Cup preparation match against Jordan in San Diego on June 7.
