Luis Diaz’s stoppage-time goal helped Colombia (COL) pip Peru (PER) to a third-place finish in Copa America 2021. In an evenly contested clash, Colombia came back from a goal down to take the lead in the second half. Peru found their way back and made it 2-2 in the dying minutes. However, Diaz struck a stunning goal in the final few seconds of the added time to seal the third spot.
The 2001 winners made plenty of changes from the squad that lost to Argentina in the semi-finals. David Ospina and Davinson Sanchez were relegated to the bench, while Daniel Munoz and Rafael Santos Borre made way for Stefan Medina and Edwin Cardona. Meanwhile, Peru included Andre Carrillo, returning from a one-match suspension, and Marcos Lopez for Christian Ramos.
Sergio Pena, Christian Cueva, and Carrillo gave the Colombia backline a tough time in the first half. The trio set up Gianluca Lapadula a couple of times, but he couldn’t force a save off Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas or register a shot on target. Pena, too, squandered a good chance as the attacking midfielder skied over the net from a close range after skipping past two defenders and Vargas.
The 2019 runners-up grabbed the opening goal at the stroke of half-time. Pena released Cueva with an excellent pass from the Peru half. The 29-year-old made a darting run on the left flank and spotted Yoshimar Yotun in space near the edge of the box. He squared the ball to the midfielder, who calmly slotted it into the net.
It didn’t take long for Colombia to level the game in the second half. The referee awarded a freekick after Peru defender Alexander Callens fouled Medina just outside the box. Juan Cuadrado sent the ball through the wall and past Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese to make it 1-1. Two minutes later, Diaz saw his acrobatic effort saved brilliantly by Gallese. Lapadula, at the other end, wrestled past Sanchez and sent in a cracking shot which hit the crossbar and went out for a goal-kick.
Diaz made the most of some casual defending by Peru to put Colombia ahead in the 66th minute. Goalkeeper Vargas’ long ball dropped perfectly for Diaz, who stormed into the box and placed the ball into the bottom corner of the net. The Peru backline was at fault for leaving the winger free in their half.
Lapadula dashed Colombia’s hopes of holding on to the narrow lead. He equalized for Peru from a corner in the 82nd minute. With the game heading for penalties, Diaz sent a thunderbolt strike from outside the box to grab the winner for Colombia in the added time. He completed his brace and clinched a podium finish for Colombia in Copa America 2021.
Goalscorers: PER – Y Yotun, G Lapadula; COL – J Cuadrado, L Diaz (2)
Assists: PER – C Cueva, R Garcia; COL – C Vargas, L Muriel
Top Five Fantasy Points scorers: L Diaz (23.5 pts), Y Yotun (16 pts), J Cuadrado (13.5 pts), G Lapadula (10.5 pts), C Cueva (7.5 pts)
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Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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