Colombia made a serious statement in the Group D of 2024 Copa America. Nesto Lorenzo’s squad clinched a 3-0 victory to establish themselves on the top of the group table, outranking Brazil who have one game in hand. Premier League and Liverpool star Luis Diaz opened the scoring in the first half from the spot.
In the second half. Davinson Sanchez and Jhon Cordoba extended the lead into three goals to nil. Colombia can now focus on the game against Brazil who are the strongest contender in Group D.
Colombia National Football Team Player Ratings vs Costa Rica
Goalkeeper
Camilo Vargas (6.5/10): Made several crucial saves when Costa Rica put Colombia under pressure at the beginning of the second half.
Defenders
Daniel Muñoz (7.1/10): Busy clearing the ball off of his box to prevent Costa Rica from scoring.
Davinson Sánchez (7.7/0): Apart from guarding the box, the former Tottenham Hotspur also sent threats for Costa Rica with his shooting attempts.
Carlos Cuesta (6.7/10): With Davinson Sanchez coming out of his box to help Colombia attack, Cuesta stays put at the back.
Johan Mojica (7.2/10): From the left flank, he put pressure to Costa Rica with his passes and movements.
Midfielders
Richard Ríos (6.5/10): Helped his team to build an attack from the midfield with a decent partnership alongside fellow midfielders.
Jefferson Lerma (6.8/10): Cut the Costa Rican attempts to bring the ball passed the centre of the pitch. transitioned it into an attack for his team.
Jhon Arias (6.5/10): His link-up with other midfielders allowed him to open spaces for Colombia to create chances.
Forwards
Luis Díaz (7.7/10): Premier League and Liverpool star Luis Diaz put constant pressure on Costa Rica’s defenders with his scoring attempts.
James Rodríguez (8.3/10): Delivering passes toward the opponents’ box, pushed them to make some mistakes that cost a goal.
Jhon Córdoba (7.4): His speed and pace were a problem for Costa Rica inside the box, including a penalty call in the first half.
Substitutions
Mateus Uribe (6.6/10): Dictated the midfield really well with the duels he won and the long passes he delivered.
Yasser Asprilla (6.5/10): Gives another option in attacking force after replacing James.
Kevin Castano (6.7/10): Made a quick introduction to get involved in Colombia’s attacking plan with his movements and shots.
Jhon Duran (6.3/10): Lost the ball more than he gained but his appearance was enough to keep the lead and prevented his team from conceding a goal.
Rafael Borre (6.6/10): Showed how collective football should be played despite there being no more goals since his appearance on the pitch.
Manager –
Néstor Lorenzo (7.2/10): Maintained Colombia’s level of intensity despite pulling of players like James Rodriguez and Luis Diaz. Colombia were so dominant that it looks like Costa Rica played with 10 men.
Costa Rica National Football Team Player Ratings vs Colombia
Goalkeeper
Patrick Sequeira (5.9/10): Apart from his saves, Sequeira also made a sloppy defending that cost Costa Rica a penalty.
Defenders
Francisco Calvo (6.2/10): Maintained composure amid relentless pressure from Colombia throughout the game
Juan Pablo Vargas (6.7/10): Led the defenders to defend with minimum risk by doing clearances after clearances.
Jeyland Mitchell (6.2/10): Dealing a lot with the likes of James and Diaz on the right side of the pitch.
Midfielders
Brandon Aguilera (6.4/10): Caused trouble in the midfield with his movement, being a target of fouls multiple times.
Orlando Galo (6.7/10): Made several clearances to prevent Colombia create a chance inside his team’s box area.
Haxzel Quirós (6.2/10): Started the attacks from the flank but still found it tough to break the defenders apart from his end.
Ariel Lassiter (6.4/10): Made a couple of movements which made the Colombian defenders have to work hard to protect the goal.
Forwards
Álvaro Zamora (6.7/10): Did not have much opportunity to make a difference in front of the goal.
Warren Madrigal (6.6/10): The Colombian marks on him were so tight that he did some unnecessary fouls.
Manfred Ugalde (6.4/10): Frustrated by the way he was guarded, Ugalde made a nasty which made him get a yellow from the referee.
Substitutions
Joseph Mora (6/10): Made clearances and blocks to prevent Costa Rica from more disastrous goal-conceding moments.
Joel Campbell (7/10): Expected to add intensity in Costa Rica’s attacking force which he did but still couldn’t find a goal.
Josimar Alcocer (6.4/10): Made several attempts to break into Colombia’s box from the left-hand side of the game.
Jefferson Brenes (6.5/10): He was plotted to block Colombia’s attacking scheme from the midfield area and Brenes found it tough with the likes of Asprilla and Castano were around.
Andy Rojas (6.5/10): Not much he can do to change the score line for Costa Rica
Manager –
Gustavo Alfaro (6.5/10): His players were left without a clue of what was happening. Costa Rica gave a tough challenge for Colombia but the problem is on the finishing touch.
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