Colombia vs Costa Rica

Colombia produced a composed home performance to beat Costa Rica 3-1 at El Campín in Bogotá, with a well-timed second-half cameo from James Rodríguez providing the defining spark in front of over 36,000 fans. Davinson Sánchez got the hosts moving on 17 minutes, rising powerfully to head home from a corner. Luis Díaz added a classy second on 24 minutes, beating his man with a feint before slotting home. Costa Rica responded through Andrey Soto's header on 32 minutes — set up by a clever flick across goal — to cut the deficit to 2-1 going into the break. Rodríguez came on at half-time and immediately made his mark, threading through the assist for Luis Javier Suárez, who drilled home from a tight angle on 80 minutes to close it out. The contest had a physical edge around the hour mark — a heated confrontation in the box required referee intervention — though no red cards or penalties were awarded. Costa Rica goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira also produced a stunning stop to deny Jorge Carrascal mid-way through the first half. With the 2026 World Cup on home soil just around the corner, Colombia will take plenty of confidence from this display. Costa Rica showed fight in spells but were exposed far too easily through the middle and face a tough defensive reckoning before the tournament begins.