Colombia advanced to the semi-finals of the Copa America with a furious 5:0 victory over the overtaxed underdogs Panama. The attacking-minded Cafeteros were led by James, who scored three goals, just like in his prime
Although Uruguay go into their Copa America semi-final as the conquerors of Brazil, the Celeste are not necessarily the favorites. This is less down to Uruguay themselves than to their opponents Colombia.
The Cafeteros, who have won three of their four games at the Copa America so far and are still unbeaten, swept underdog Panama 5-0 in Glendale on Saturday evening. The Colombians had an outstanding leader in former Bayern professional James. The 32-year-old, who now plays for FC Sao Paulo in Brazil, was directly involved in three of the goals.
“The most important thing is yet to come. We hope to reach the final,” said James, who was deservedly named player of the match, after the most one-sided quarter-final at the Copa America.
The early goals in particular quickly swung the pendulum in Colombia’s favor, according to James. After just eight minutes, the left-footer placed a corner on the head of ex-Cologne man Cordoba to put the favorites ahead. At the end of the opening quarter of an hour, James converted a penalty to make it 2-0 (15′).
Panama came back shortly afterwards in their best phase of the game, but central defender Miller’s header bounced off the post and straight into the arms of Colombia keeper Vargas (19). However, the game was already decided before the break when James again initiated the move – this time from a free-kick – and Liverpool’s Luis Diaz finished artfully to make it 3-0 (41′).
Luis Diaz on James: “One look is enough “
“We know what a fine little foot James has, and one look is enough,” explained Luis Diaz after the final whistle: “We are very well attuned to each other and hope that we can continue to win for the fans. “
After the break, Palmeiras professional Richard and River Plate striker Borja added two more players to the scorers’ list to ensure that the quarter-final triumph went down to the wire.