After impressing in the group stage of the Copa America, Colombia are looking for confirmation in the final third quarter. Nestor Lorenzo’s boys will face the surprise of the tournament Panama in a game that will not be overrated but in which the Cafeteria will be seen as your favorite.
Copa America, match preview
The Colombian team is based on the class of James Rodriguez who lit up this tournament with 3 assists. Munoz’s push to the right shows a real weapon that has made the difference so far. Luis “Lucho” Diaz is the one who hasn’t seen much. The Liverpool player only scored from a penalty and didn’t shine against Brazil either. On the other hand, Panama, after losing against a stronger Uruguay, was able to beat the host United States and then again with a clear 3-1 against Bolivia. Striker Fajardo and wingers Murillo and BlackMan are the men who have impressed the most so far. But Los Canaleros do not want to stop the dream. Obviously you can follow the match between Colombia and Panama here on Sportitalia….
Colombia, the parole of Nestor Lorenzo and John Arias
These are the words of the Colombian coach: “I don’t know their coach’s tactics for the quarter final. We will find out during the first half of the game whether they will wait for us or attack us. But the tricky thing about this game is that they showed they know how to do a bit of everything: the back block defends well and is a dangerous team in transition. James will play, the team needs him. Colombia must find the best eleven and think about the game with the aim of winning. We can’t think about the next game at the risk of not being serious and responsible. So James will be on the field against Panama.”
Eoin Arias spoke then:”We have come this far step by step and we know our talents and strengths, one of them being modesty. We know that the game against Panama will be tough and complicated, and that they deserve all the praise for reaching the quarter finals. They are opponents who deserve all our respect“.
Panama, the words Christiansen and Farina
These are the words of the Panama coach:”For Colombia, of course, quality is not in question. We know they are great players who play in good leagues and compete for important goals. Maybe in some games they played with less pressure; for example, in the match against Brazil they went to death, maybe to try to avoid Uruguay and then play against us. But we analyzed the other group games they played. We have seen that if we take advantage of the small mistakes that Colombia can make, we will have a chance. However, at the same time, we must be very focused and efficient in defense and attack“.
This is what Farina spoke then:”Well, I think the feedback we got during the week, these days, is positive, personally, and the group has also received it in a positive way to motivate themselves and do things well. I believe the chemistry we have now is fundamental and will help us a lot in this game. We worked a lot on dead balls. We know that Colombia is a solid team in the penalty area; we have to be very concentrated, one hundred percent, in the game for 90 minutes to be able to limit them“.
The probable matches for the quarter finals of Copa America
Colombia (4-2-3-1): Vargas; Machado, Sanchez, Cuesta, Munoz; Rios, Castano; Arias, Rodriguez, Diaz; Córdoba. CT: Nestor Lorenzo
PANAMA (4-1-4-1): Mosquera; Davis, Farina, Cordoba, Murillo; Martinez; Barcenas, Harvey, Carrasquilla Alcazar, The Black Man; Fajardo Nelson. CT: Christians.