By Jorge Hernandez
Jun 16, 2024, 17:41 PM EDT
The Colombian national team beat Bolivia 3-0 and closed with a flourish his preparation for the America Cupwhile La Verde left a poor image in the last game before the start of the continental competition, which ended with three players expelled.
At the Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford (Connecticut, USA), those led by Argentine Néstor Lorenzo overwhelmed their rival and took the victory with goals from midfielder Jhon Arias, attacker Jhon Córdoba and winger Luis Díaz.
The coffee growers took control from the beginning and began to do damage with their partnerships and pressure.
This allowed them to steal a ball in the rival’s exit that was left to Díaz, who with his skill got rid of several rivals, but lost the ball in the area. A rebound that Arias caught to send, in the 5th minute, the ball to the back of the net with a right hand.
The Bolivians, meanwhile, had many difficulties getting the ball to attackers Bruno Miranda and César Menacho, who appeared little.
In that context, Colombia found the 2-0 in the 25th minute in a play in which Díaz sent a cross low for Córdoba, from Krasnodar, who received his back, turned and took a shot that was impossible for Guillermo Viscarra to stop.
The only option in the first stage for Brazilian Antonio Carlos Zago’s team reached the 35th minute when in a free kick, caused by an error in the start of James Rodríguez, Fernando Saucedo took a very strong shot that was saved by Camilo Vargas.
However, The Bolivian momentum faded in the 42nd minute when Colombian winger Deiver Machado filtered a pass for Díaz, who got rid of a defender in the area and celebrated the 3-0 lead.
In the second half, the coffee growers slowed down the pace of the game and La Verde barely had a chance in a cross launched by full-back Roberto Fernández that almost sent Diego Medina to the back, but he couldn’t finish well.
The most complex moment of the match occurred in the 67th minute when defender Héctor Cuéllar made a very strong attack on Díaz, which unleashed a battle on the field where players from both teams attacked each other.
As a result of this confrontation, the Mexican referee Daniel Quintero sent off the Colombian full-back Daniel Muñoz and the Bolivian attacker Menacho.
In the end the scoreboard did not move any further and both teams thus closed their preparation for the continental tournament.
In the Copa América, Bolivia will debut on Sunday the 23rd against the United States at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Texas) and Colombia will play its first match a day later against Paraguay at NRG Stadium in Houston (Texas).
*With information from EFE.
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