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For the last Group A match of this Copa America Centenario, Colombia who was already qualified to the quarterfinals, only needed one point to secure their first place in the group. Manager Jose Pekerman decided to rest pretty much all of his stellar players and give a chance to all the subs against Costa Rica. The Central American side did the same, since they had already been eliminated from the tournament. With less pressure for both sides, we could expect an open match filled with goals from both sides.
Right off the bag from outside the box, Costa Rican Johan Venegas curled a beautiful shot to the far post of the Colombia goalkeeper. But today was a happy day without any pressure, both sides new their destiny and they just played football for the pure joy of it. On the sixth minute it was Frank Fabra who found a loose ball inside the box and defeated the goalkeeper for the equalizer. But luck would be unfortunate for Colombia one more time, as Venegas sent a cross that Fabra wasn't able to clear out of the box and scored an own goal on the 35th minute.
For the second half, manager Jose Pekerman decided to give James Rodriguez a full 45 minutes of game time. Near the 60th minute of game time with James inside the field, costa Rica constructed a perfect combination that was finished by Celso Borges with a beautiful volley after a cross from the right flank. This 3-1 result was giving the first place to the United States who were tied with 6 units, but this Colombian defeat gave the Americans Group A's first place. But the Colombians didn't give up that easily, Juan Cuadrado who had just entered the field, assisted youngster Marlos Moreno for Colombia's second goal.
The last 15 minutes were an absolute thriller that could've gone either way, Colombia had stepped up their game and the spaces were wide open. But this thrilling match was destined to be a Costa Rica victory. Despite having used his best players in the second half, manager Jose Pekerman wasn't able to clinch Group A's first spot and will end up playing against Group B's first spot which will be decided tomorrow. The United States will play against Group B's second spot.
Photo credit: Conmebol
