Colombia had to settle for the second position in Group A of Copa America 2016 as they lost to Costa Rica 3-2 in a thrilling encounter. This loss means USA finished at the top of the group, defeating Paraguay 1-0 in a close encounter.
Colombia and Costa Rica's game had goals written all over after a fine start by the latter as Johan Venegas scored in the second minute of the game. But Colombia, who had made 10 changes, were equal to the task as Frank Fabra drew level with a seventh-minute strike. Two goals in 10 minutes spiced up the game, as both teams were looking for the all-important lead in the first half.
There were some brilliant plays by both teams in the first half, but an own goal by Colombia's Fabra in the 34th minute helped Costa Rica take lead. Going into the break, Costa Rica would have been happy with the scoreline, but they had to be stronger to defeat Colombia, who brought some of their stars in the second half.
However, Costa Rica were not perturbed by the changes, and played some stunning football, which helped them increase their lead to 3-1 in the 58th minute as Celso Borges found the net.
Colombia were stunned and gave it their all to make a comeback, and after a good spell, scored in the 73rd minute via Marlos Moreno. This gave the Colombians some extra energy as they came close to drawing level in the later stages, but the Costa Rica defenders stood firm, helping their team defeat Colombia 3-2.
Earlier, USA were guaranteed a quarterfinals berth after some brilliant display by the home team in front of their fans. Experienced player Clint Dempsey's strike, which was his 51st international goal, in the 27th minute proved to be enough for a win, but they were tested by Paraguay, who came close to goal a few times during the match.
