Copa America 2024: James Rodriguez stars as five-star Colombia demolish Panama 5-0 to advance to semifinals

Los Cafeteros will face winner of Uruguay and Brazil.

After concluding the group stage phase as Group D table toppers, dark horse Colombia locked horns with Group C runners-up and underdog Panama in the third quarterfinal of Copa America 2024 at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale.

Riding on a 26-game unbeaten streak, Colombia got the game off to the best possible start as they took an early 1-0 lead in the 8th-minute courtesy of forward Jhon Córdoba’s close-range header following a delicious corner by James Rodriguez, who recorded his fourth assist of the tournament.

Just minutes later, Los Cafeteros were offered a golden opportunity to extend their lead as midfielder Jhon Arias drew a foul in the box from Panama’s Orlando Mosquera, resulting in a penalty. Colombia’s chief playmaker, James Rodriguez, dispatched the penalty with a clinical finish to open his goal-scoring account for the 2024 Copa America and give his side a 2-0 lead in the 15th minute.

A shell-shocked Panama tried to get a foothold on the match to navigate a way back into such a crucial contest. As the half progressed, Panama started to grow more and more into the game as they created decent opportunities to half the deficit, but the Colombian defence stood solid, absorbing all the pressure with ease.

However, the encounter looked almost done and dusted, as towards the end of the first half, Colombia made it 3-0 in the 41st minute courtesy of yet another James Rodriguez assist that was met this time by winger Luis Diaz, who nailed it into the top right corner. After a dominating display, Nestor Lorenzo’s side went into the break with a massive lead.

Following a disastrous first half for Panama, Thomas Christiansen made two early second-half changes in order to bring fresh legs into the game and implement a few tactical adjustments.

However, it was Colombia in full samba mode as they took an insurmountable 4-0 lead in the 70th minute through midfielder Richard Ríos’ fantastic long-range strike that found the bottom left corner to put the match beyond Panama’s hapless reach.

To add the final nail to the coffin, Colombia added a fifth goal in stoppage time after defender Santiago Arias drew a foul in the penalty area, which was successfully converted by substitute Miguel Borja to cap a world-class team performance.

Five-star Colombia crushed Panama 5-0 in the quarterfinals in what proved to be a one-sided thumping. On a 27-game unbeaten streak now after today’s result, in-form Los Cafeteros are set to face the winners of the match, Uruguay vs. Brazil, in the semifinals of Copa America 2024.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram