Diaz Delivers Goal And Assist As Colombia Beat Costa Rica 3-1 In World Cup Warm-Up

Colombia continued an impressive build-up for the World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Costa Rica in Bogota, highlighted by Luis Diaz’s goal and assist. Davinson Sanchez and Luis Suarez also scored, as Colombia’s attack controlled long spells of the friendly and underlined strong competition for places in Nestor Lorenzo’s squad.

The match served as Colombia’s final outing before travelling to the United States, where they face Jordan in San Diego on Sunday in their last warm-up. Colombia outshot Costa Rica 14-9, led the expected goals numbers 1.93 to 0.54, and showed fluid combinations in both halves, despite several changes.

Diaz started as captain with James Rodriguez on the bench and quickly influenced the contest. The Liverpool winger delivered a precise 17th-minute corner, which Sanchez glanced in off the far post for the opener. Six minutes later, Diaz finished himself, punishing a defensive error from Costa Rica after Darril Araya’s attempted clearance hit Jorge Carrascal.

Diaz showed composure for that second goal, collecting the loose ball and wrong-footing Aaron Salazar before scoring. Costa Rica responded just after the half-hour, when Josimar Alcocer headed back across goal and Andrey Soto nodded past Camilo Vargas. Despite that setback, Colombia remained on top, with Carrascal going close again before the interval.

Lorenzo introduced James at half-time, with the 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner taking over the armband from Diaz. Colombia continued to dominate territory, while Costa Rica struggled to maintain possession under pressure. James dictated play from midfield, linking short passes and stretching the game with longer balls into wide channels.

The third goal arrived nine minutes from the end, again following a move down the left. James slipped a pass into the channel for Suarez, who surged into space and drove a powerful shot into the far corner. That strike ended any Costa Rican hopes of a late comeback and confirmed a comfortable margin.

Diaz remained the standout figure from a numbers perspective, scoring with his lone attempt and creating a match-high five chances. James added two key passes and completed 48 accurate passes, the most by any player despite only appearing for 45 minutes. Colombia’s forwards also pressed aggressively, limiting Costa Rica’s ability to build from the back.

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The performance also carried symbolic value for Colombia’s supporters, with both senior leaders contributing in different halves. Diaz set the tone early, while James closed the game with control and creativity. For Costa Rica, Soto’s header and Alcocer’s assist were positives, but defensive errors proved costly against sharper opposition.

Colombia leave Bogota with clear positives: attacking depth, effective set-pieces, and leadership shared between Diaz and James. The win over Costa Rica, added to strong underlying numbers, offers confidence ahead of the World Cup, while the upcoming test against Jordan in San Diego will give Lorenzo a final look at tactical options.