Diaz guides Colombia to 3-0 rout of Bolivia in Copa America warmup
Liverpool forward Luis Diaz scored one goal and set up another as Colombia cruised to a 3-0 victory over Bolivia in their Copa America warmup clash in the United States on Saturday.
Jhon Arias put the Cafeteros ahead in the fifth minute at Rentschler field in East Hartford, Connecticut, when he capitalized on shoddy Bolivia defending to fire home from 12 yards.
Jhon Cordoba doubled the advantage 20 minutes later by angling a low effort into the far corner after receiving Diaz’s pass.
The latter made it 3-0 on the stroke of halftime when he combined with Deiver Machado and wrong-footed his marker before lashing a shot beyond the reach of goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra.
Both teams finished the match with 10 men after Colombia’s Daniel Munoz and Bolivia’s Cesar Menacho were sent off for violent conduct.
The result extends Colombia’s unbeaten run to 20 games since Argentine coach Nestor Lorenzo took charge in June 2022.
The friendly was the last chance for both teams to fine-tune their preparations for the Copa America, to be played in the United States from June 20 to July 14.
The Cafeteros will begin their quest to win the continental tournament for a second time when they meet Paraguay on June 24. Lorenzo’s men will also face Costa Rica and Brazil in the group stage.
Bolivia, meanwhile, will confront the United States in their opening match on June 23 followed by group-stage matches against Uruguay and Panama. ■
