A confident Colombia thrashed Panama 5-0 on Saturday to reach the Copa America semi-finals, where they will face Uruguay.
James Rodríguez once again put in a top-class performance for Colombia, assisting two goals and scoring a penalty in their dominant win over Panama.
Marcelo Bielsa's Colombia, who beat Brazil 4-2 on penalties on Saturday in a goalless draw, are unbeaten in 27 games and will face Uruguay in Charlotte on Wednesday.
The other semifinal will be played on Tuesday in New Jersey, pitting world champion Argentina against surprise Canada.
Colombia took the lead in the eighth minute when John Cordoba showed his strength by shaking off his marker and heading in a corner kick from Rodriguez.
Seven minutes later, John Arias burst into the area and was brought down by a diving Panama goalkeeper, Orlando Mosquera, but Rodriguez scored from the penalty spot.
Panama, who had beaten the United States in the group stage to advance, needed to find a foothold in this match and came close to scoring when Roderick Miller headed in an Eric Davies cross and hit the post.
But four minutes before half-time, Colombia put the game out of reach for the Central Americans when Rodriguez showed some good judgement by taking a quick free kick from his own half and lifting the ball high to Luis Diaz.
The Liverpool winger stormed towards goal and, when Mosquera was caught out of nowhere, scored a magnificent chip to make it 3-0.
Colombia continued to control the game calmly in the second half and added a fourth in the 70th minute with a powerful shot from 25 yards by Richard Rios.
Daniel Munoz appeared to have been brought down inside the penalty area, but Rios pounced on the loose ball and fired a powerful shot before the referee could blow the whistle.
In added time, Panama defender Jose Cordoba collided with Santiago Arias in the penalty box, resulting in Rodriguez being substituted, allowing Miguel Borja to score a penalty to seal the big win.
Rodrigues has had his ups and downs at club level but he has been outstanding in this tournament, recapturing the form that saw him burst onto the world stage at the World Cup in Brazil 10 years ago.
The 32-year-old's inventive passing and deft touch added an extra layer of charm to a team rich in speed and organisation.
Committed to the goal“It was a tough match no matter how the result looked. They were a strong team but we started very well, scored early goals and were able to control the game,” said Rodrigues, who now plays for Sao Paulo in Brazil. “Hopefully we can get to the final, which is what we all want. We are all in a good period and that's good. We have a very good team and everyone is working hard towards our goal. Let's see what happens for us in the semi-finals.”
Panama coach Thomas Christiansen felt the score was tough for his team but said they needed to remember their achievements in this tournament as they turn their attention to qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
“From my point of view, the result was too much, but the mistakes we made should not be made against a team with the speed, the intensity and the quality of Colombia, who are in the game right now,” the coach said. “I'm honestly happy with the performance of the players. It wasn't the result we wanted or deserved, but we have to learn from it.”
“I am proud of the players and we have to congratulate them for this great Copa America. The tournament did not end the way we wanted but it is also a learning experience,” he said.
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© Agence France-Presse
