Davinson Sánchez and Jhon Córdoba scored three minutes apart in the second half, and Colombia advanced to the Copa América quarterfinals with a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday.
Colombia controlled possession (62%) for the second consecutive match and went into the break 1-0 up with Luis Díaz's penalty in the 31st minute.
Los Cafeteros kept the pressure on in the second half and closed out Group D with a dominant performance in front of 27,386 Colombian fans at State Farm Stadium. Colombia outshot Costa Rica 14-5 and will face Brazil on Tuesday in Santa Clara, California, to close out the group stage.
Colombia has won 10 straight and is unbeaten in 25 matches (20-0-5) since losing to Argentina in a 2022 World Cup qualifier. Costa Rica did not have a single shot on target.
Costa Rica had the first big surprise of the tournament when it was held to a goalless draw by nine-time Copa America champion Brazil despite being outshot 18-2.
The Ticos found themselves once again hot on the heels of another powerful team in the desert, and things didn't fare as well for the tournament's youngest squad.
Colombia controlled possession (66%) in their opening 2-1 victory over Paraguay and dominated the ball from the start against Costa Rica.
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Díaz had the first good opportunity in the fifth minute, when a header missed the crossbar. James Rodríguez followed with the first shot on goal in the 20th minute, but Patrick Sequeira stretched out to save.
Díaz scored from a penalty after Sequeira brought down an attacking Córdoba on the edge of the penalty area. The Cafeteros kept up the pressure, narrowly missing another goal when Sánchez couldn't head in a Diaz cross.
Colombia had 71% possession in the first half and maintained control in the second.
As Costa Rica pushed for an equaliser, they were left wide at the break and Colombia made them pay, with Sanchez beating defender Juan Pablo Vargas to head Jhon Arias' corner past Sequeira from close range in the 59th minute.
After scoring, Sánchez raised the shirt of his teammate Jhon Lucumí, who missed the game due to injury.
Córdoba completed the scoring three minutes later after timing his run perfectly to stay in play and latch onto a long ball from James Rodríguez before calmly finishing past Sequeira.
“Everything that was planned during the week was done and the truth is that I am very happy to be able to contribute to my teammates, not just for the goal,” said Córdoba after the match.
The 31-year-old striker, who plays for FK Krasnodar, started as a substitute for Rafael Santos Borre, who is suffering from an ankle problem.
He added that coach Lorenzo asked him to always go on the attack, to look for spaces in defense and to make the most of his power. “That contributed a lot to the team and when James passed the ball to me, thank God the goal came.”
“I'm very happy, not only for the goal, but for the team, because it has evolved during the week, it's part of the confidence of the moment,” said Córdoba.
Information from The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
