Colombia won in the most dramatic fashion in the Brazilian capital after Luis Diaz scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to win the third place match with Peru.
¡FINAL DEL PARTIDO! Con una gran actuación de Luis Díaz, @FCFSeleccionCol venció 3-2 a @SeleccionPeru y se quedó con el tercer puesto de la CONMEBOL #CopaAmérica
🇨🇴 Colombia 🆚 Perú 🇵🇪#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/xs2tGuZl5D
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) July 10, 2021
The Peruvians had earlier taken the lead in the first half, but Colombia levelled things quickly at the start of the second half courtesy of a Juan Cuadrado free kick.
After that Luis Diaz gave Colombia the lead which was cancelled by Ginaluca Lapadula’s towering header in the 82nd minute for Peru.
The match seemed to be headed for penalties when Luis Diaz once again showcased brilliance with a beautiful effort that won the match for Colombia as Peru were left to lick their wounds in Brasilia.
FootTheBall takes a look at the five things that were the talking points of the match and the star player who shone in the Brazilian capital
PERU DEFEND VALIANTLY IN FIRST HALF
The Peruvians were excellent defensively in the first part of the first half at the Estadio Nacional de Brasília in the Brazilian capital. They went with a back four that defended compactly every attacking move from Colombia in the first half of the match.
All the four defenders were in complete harmony with each other as they dug deep to defend in their own half. The defensive midfielders Yotun and Tapia were also on the same wavelength as the defenders, which helped Peru in keeping their defensive shape intact.
Tapia had to be substituted in the first half itself after he pulled a muscle apparently, but that didn’t affect their defensive formation for rest of the first half as they were equal to everything that Colombia threw at them
COLOMBIA CONTROL TEMPO OF THE MATCH, STILL FALL BEHIND
It is safe to say that the Colombians were in control of the entire match. They were good in the air when it came to aerial duels and winning headers and fired in more crosses than the Peruvians.
Yoshi Yotún 🤟🇵🇪#VibraElContinente #CopaAmérica pic.twitter.com/nk4PfTPYKT
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) July 10, 2021
In addition to that, they were involved in many attacking moves in Peru’s half as they continued to knock the door with the first half progressing.
But Peru’s counter-attacking strategy paid off as they scored at nearly the end of the first half in Brasilia to gain an invaluable advantage
PERU’S COUNTER-ATTACKING STRATEGY PAYS OFF IN FIRST HALF
The Peruvians were pinned back for the majority of the first half as Colombia dominated the proceedings in the Brazilian capital.
¡Gran definición! Yoshimar Yotún recibió de Christian Cueva y abrió el marcador para @SeleccionPeru
🇨🇴 Colombia 🆚 Perú 🇵🇪#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/hZpF784UpR
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) July 10, 2021
But their counter-attacking strategy paid dividends at the very end of the first half as Yoshimar Yotun scored from inside the box from an assist by Christian Cueva.
Peruvian forward Gianluca Lapadula executed a perfect feint to let the ball roll into Yoshimar Yotun’s path and the Cruz Azul player didn’t make any mistake in slotting it home to give Peru the lead in the third place match
COLOMBIA COME FROM BEHIND, PERU EQUALISE AGAIN
Colombia made a statement of intent early on in the second half as Juan Cuadrado, the captain of Colombia, led by example. Los Cafeteros won a free kick just on the edge of the penalty box and the Juventus winger converted the set-piece to restore parity in the third place match.
¡GOLAZO! Juan Cuadrado le dio de tiro libre y marcó el empate de @FCFSeleccionCol
🇨🇴 Colombia 🆚 Perú 🇵🇪#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/2WuRKjKEp8
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) July 10, 2021
And from then on Colombia were on the front foot for pretty much the rest of the match in Brasilia for the bronze medal of the world’s oldest international football tournament.
¡Lo dio vuelta! Luis Díaz quedó mano a mano con Pedro Gallese y marcó el 2-1 de @FCFSeleccionCol
🇨🇴 Colombia 🆚 Perú 🇵🇪#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/x7eU7Arpj1
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) July 10, 2021
They even took the lead as Luis Diaz once again scored after a slaloming run down the left wing on a counter-attack to give Colombia the lead in the 66th minute – a point at which it looked increasingly likely that Colombia would go on to win the match comfortably.
¡Gran cabezazo! Gianluca Lapadula ganó de arriba y anotó el empate de @SeleccionPeru
🇨🇴 Colombia 🆚 Perú 🇵🇪#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/HWd0urJK6H
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) July 10, 2021
But Gianluca Lapadula had other things in mind as he rose high to meet a corner in the 82nd minute to once again level things and go top of the scoring charts in Copa America 2021
LUIS DIAZ WINS IT LATE FOR COLOMBIA
This match witnessed a grandstand finish as Colombia won it deep into second-half stoppage time when the prospect of penalties was looming. Luis Muriel came on at the very end and turned provider for Luis Diaz, who curled in a beautiful effort into the top right corner of Peru’s goal.
¡DESCOMUNAL! Luis Díaz metió un golazo tremendo para la victoria final de @FCFSeleccionCol sobre @SeleccionPeru por 3 a 2
🇨🇴 Colombia 🆚 Perú 🇵🇪#VibraElContinente #VibraOContinente pic.twitter.com/ypwrWsK2Ad
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) July 10, 2021
The Peruvians, for all their huffing and puffing, were left to rue missed chances as they lost the game on virtually the last kick of the game in Brasilia.
Colombia, though, deserved a third place finish in Copa America 2021 for all their dominance in the match in both halves. Meanwhile, the Peruvians will go back home with their heads held high after they gave Colombia a run for their money in the closing stages of the match
STAR PLAYER
The star player of the match was undoubtedly Colombia’s Luis Diaz who scored a brace, including a beautiful effort in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to win Colombia the bronze medal. He had earlier put Colombia in the lead in the 66th minute after a brilliant counter-attacking move.
ASÍ SE GRITA UN GOL AL ÚLTIMO MINUTO QUE VALE EL TERCER PUESTO 🗣️ 🇨🇴#VibraElContinente #CopaAmérica pic.twitter.com/bPirwD7xvT
— Copa América (@CopaAmerica) July 10, 2021
His two goals come on the back of the goal he scored in the semi-final with Argentina when he darted forward on the left flank to fire in the equaliser that sent the match to penalties.
And once again he was Colombia’s hero in Brasilia as his goal helped Los Cafeteros clinch the bronze medal in Copa America 2021
