Luis Díaz delivered a goal and an assist as Colombia continued its World Cup preparations with a convincing 3-1 victory over Costa Rica in Bogotá.
Wearing the captain’s armband in place of James Rodríguez, who began the match on the bench, Díaz played a leading role in Colombia’s attack. Davinson Sánchez and Luis Suárez also found the net as Colombia controlled much of the contest.
The hosts opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Díaz’s corner kick found Sánchez, whose header glanced off the post and into the net. Just six minutes later, Díaz doubled Colombia’s advantage after a defensive mistake by Costa Rica. A clearance attempt deflected into his path, allowing the Liverpool forward to calmly beat goalkeeper Aaron Salazar before finishing.
Costa Rica responded in the 32nd minute through Andrey Soto, who headed home after Josimar Alcocer knocked the ball back across goal to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Colombia remained the more dangerous side throughout the second half. Rodríguez entered the match at halftime and immediately influenced the attack, eventually setting up the team’s third goal. In the 81st minute, his pass down the left flank found Suárez, who fired a powerful shot into the far corner to seal the victory.
The statistics reflected Colombia’s dominance. The South Americans outshot Costa Rica 14-9 and held a significant advantage in expected goals, 1.93 to 0.54.
Díaz was the standout performer, scoring with his lone shot of the match while creating a game-high five chances. Rodríguez also made an impact off the bench, creating two opportunities and completing 48 passes in just 45 minutes of action.
Colombia will now travel to the United States for its final World Cup warmup match against Jordan in San Diego before beginning tournament play.
