GLENDALE, Arizona (Reuters) – James Rodriguez scored one goal and provided two assists as Colombia cruised to a 5-0 victory over Panama at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday to book a place in the Copa America semi-finals.
Los Cafeteros has reached the semifinals for the third time in four tournaments and will face the winner of the match between Uruguay and Brazil in the quarterfinals later Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Striker John Cordoba beat his marker and headed in a corner kick to give Colombia the lead in the eighth minute, before Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera brought down John Arias, giving Nestor Lorenzo's Colombia a penalty.
Captain James Rodriguez earned a penalty kick and fired a shot into the top of the net in the 15th minute.
Panama briefly applied 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 headed straight at goalkeeper Camilo Vargas, who used brilliant reflexes to deflect the ball away from the goal.
Colombia weathered the storm and hurt their opponents with another set piece in the 41st minute when Rodriguez fed Luis Diaz with a quick free kick and the Liverpool winger smashed a shot over Mosquera from the edge of the area.
Colombia slowed the pace in the second half in an attempt to control the game and secure the victory, but they still dominated.
In the 70th minute, Richard Rios took advantage of some confusion in Panama's half after a foul and fired a low shot from distance, catching Mosquera off guard and scoring the fourth goal.
Panama's frustration with the way the game was going was evident when defender Jose Cordoba collided with Santiago Arias in the penalty area, giving Colombia a clear penalty, and substitute Miguel Borja scored with the final kick of the game just before the end.
The win extended Colombia's unbeaten streak to 27 games, with their last defeat coming in February 2022 when they lost 1-0 to Argentina.
Colombia will play in the semifinals on Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Defending champion Argentina will face Canada, the only CONCACAF team remaining in the tournament, in the other semifinal on Tuesday in New Jersey.
(Reporting by Aadhi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Alistair Bell)
