James Rodriguez scored one goal and assisted on two more as Colombia routed Panama 5-0 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday to advance to the Copa America semifinals.
The Coffee Growers They are in the semi-finals for the third time in four editions and will face Uruguay on Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, which beat Brazil on penalties later on Saturday.
“The most important thing is yet to come. We hope to reach the final,” said Rodriguez, who was named the best player of the match.
“I'm very happy because we're in a good moment. We played a good game today and scored goals quickly.”
Striker Jhon Córdoba beat his marker to head in a corner and give Colombia the lead in the eighth minute, before captain Rodríguez converted a penalty after Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera brought down Jhon Arias.
Rodríguez went to the penalty spot and slammed his shot into the roof of the net in the 15th minute.
Panama had a brief moment of pressure midway through the first half, with their best chance coming in the 19th minute when Roderick Miller's header bounced off the post and straight at goalkeeper Camilo Vargas, who showed great reflexes to deflect it wide of the goal.
Colombia weathered the storm and punished their rivals with another set-piece in the 41st minute, when Rodríguez set up Luis Díaz with a quick free-kick and the Liverpool winger finished over Mosquera from the edge of the area.
“We know the type of foot James has, just by looking at him. He saw me and I scored the pass. It was a nice goal. We are very in tune and we hope to continue winning for the fans,” said Díaz.
Colombia slowed down in the second half and looked to control the game and get the win, but they were still by far the better team.
They scored their fourth goal in the 70th minute after Richard Ríos took advantage of a confusion in the Panamanian ranks following a foul to finish low from distance, taking Mosquera by surprise.
Panama's frustration with the game seemed to show when defender Jose Cordoba collided with Santiago Arias inside the area to gift Colombia a clear penalty in added time, which substitute Miguel Borja converted with the last kick of the match.
The win extends Colombia's unbeaten streak to 27 matches, with their last defeat being a 1-0 loss to Argentina in February 2022.
Colombia will play its semifinal match in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday. Defending champion Argentina will face Canada — the only Concacaf team left in the tournament — in the other semifinal in New Jersey on Tuesday.
The match marked the end of Panama's fairytale run in the competition, which included a memorable 2-1 win over Concacaf rivals and hosts the United States.
It was their best performance in the Copa America, improving on their group stage elimination in their debut in 2016.
“I'm very proud of my players and what they've achieved in this Copa America,” Panama coach Thomas Christiansen told reporters.
“Of course, nobody likes to lose, much less 5-0, but we have to congratulate the players for this Copa America. It didn't end the way we wanted, but this is also a learning experience.”
