(Glendale) Jhon Cordoba, James Rodriguez and Luis Diaz scored in a dominant first half as Colombia beat Panama 5-0 in the Copa America quarterfinals on Saturday.
Colombia will face the winner of the duel between Uruguay and Brazil in the semifinals on Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Colombia – who entered the match with a 26-game unbeaten streak – wasted no time in getting the game underway. Cordoba scored with a header in the eighth minute after Rodriguez’s corner kick.
The Colombians doubled their lead less than 10 minutes later when Rodriguez fired home a powerful strike from a penalty kick. It was a 28e goal on the international stage for Rodriguez, 32,
Colombia made it 3-0 in the 41st minutee minute thanks to a lob from Diaz over goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera.
The fourth goal, scored by Richard Rios, came in the 70th minute.e minute, then Miguel Borja put the finishing touch on another penalty kick in stoppage time.
Panama’s unexpected run to the quarterfinals included a 2-1 victory over the United States in the preliminary round.