Colombia 2 Costa Rica 3
Houston, TX
Colombia had already qualified for the knockout stage, while Costa Rica was playing in the fixture because they had booked it in advance.
The importance of the match varied for both teams. Costa Rica needed a win for their record in the Copa America Centenario, and Colombia wanted to top the Group. United States had beaten Paraguay to climb on top of the pile in Group A, and with a win or a draw, Colombia will reclaim that position.
Colombia usually finds the early goal, but not in this match. Just two minutes into the match, Costa Rica was up 1-0. Johan Venegas curled shot from outside the box, which ended up at the top corner of the net. Colombian goalkeeper had no chance of getting his hands on that ball.
For a team that hadn’t gone down a goal in this Copa America Centenario up till this point, Colombia responded almost immediately. Frank Fabra scored in the 5th minute to tie things up again.
Frank Fabra was the name on the scoreboard again in the 34th minute. This time as a Costa Rican hero. Both goalscorers had a part to play in this one, as a cross from J. Venegas into the Colombian penalty box was knocked into the net by Fabra in an attempt to clear it to safety.
Colombia found themselves a goal behind again. At half time, Costa Rica was leading 2-1.
James Rodriguez was introduced into the match in the second half. Less than 10 minutes after his introduction, Costa Rica went up another goal. A chip into behind Colombian defense, and a low cross into the penalty box were met by Celso Borges, who slotted the ball straight through the middle of the net.
Marlos Moreno pulled on back for Colombia in the 73rd minute, but that wasn’t enough as Costa Rica did their defensive duties well to go home with a win from the participation in the Copa America Centenario.
With this result, USA will top Group A(shocking) and Colombia will follow them into the quarter-finals.
Group A finishes as……
| Group A | |||||||
| Team | Played | Win | Loss | Draw | GF | GA | Points |
| USA | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 6 |
| Colombia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| Costa Rica | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Paraguay | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
