Colombia will face Panama in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa América after securing first place in Group D with a 1-1 draw against Brazil at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. This result extends Nestor Lorenzo’s team’s unbeaten streak to 26 matches.
Colombia only needed to avoid defeat to secure their position atop the group. Despite already qualifying, they adopted an aggressive approach early on, with James Rodriguez hitting the crossbar from a set-piece just outside the area.
However, it was Brazil who broke the deadlock shortly before the 15-minute mark.
Dropped from Brazil’s starting lineup for their win against Paraguay, Raphinha quickly justified manager Dorival Junior’s decision to reinstate him by curling a free-kick beyond Camilo Vargas’ reach for a goal.
The almost capacity crowd witnessed an exciting match as both teams, strong contenders for this year’s tournament title, pushed for more goals. Colombia appeared to equalize before VAR intervened, ruling out Davinson Sanchez’s header for offside.
Los Cafeteros captain Rodriguez continued to threaten the Brazil goal before halftime with a set-piece that forced Alisson to tip his shot over the bar.
However, Liverpool’s keeper was unable to prevent conceding a goal in added time when Jhon Cordoba’s brilliant defense-splitting pass enabled Daniel Munoz, a marauding forward defender, to score his third international goal, leveling the score.
Around 15 minutes into the second half, Raphinha almost replicated his earlier goal with a fierce free-kick that narrowly missed the post. In response, Cordoba had a chance to score but disappointingly failed to generate power with a header straight at Alisson.
Substitute Rafael Borre missed a golden opportunity to secure victory for Colombia in the 84th minute, redirecting Luis Diaz’s dangerous cross wide despite having an open goal in front of him.
However, Internacional’s striker miss did not affect the final standings of the group, and Colombia will advance in their pursuit of a first Copa América title since 2001 from a favorable position.
Meanwhile, Brazil, finishing in second place, now faces a challenging match against Uruguay, who maintain a perfect record in this year’s competition. This task is compounded by Vinicius Junior’s absence due to suspension.
Get instant and latest news updates via Our WhatsApp Community or Google News online channel.
