Diaz and a vintage James cameo see Colombia past Costa Rica
Colombia gave their World Cup preparations a lift in Bogota on June 1, beating Costa Rica 3-1 at a full Estadio El Campin. Luis Diaz ran the show with a goal and an assist, Davinson Sanchez and Luis Suarez took care of the rest, and a second-half cameo from James Rodriguez was a reminder that the playmaker still has plenty to offer at 34.
Diaz turns it on at El Campin
The hosts were ahead inside 17 minutes when Sanchez opened the scoring, and Diaz made it two on 23 with a composed finish. Costa Rica had a brief response when Andrey Soto pulled one back in the 33rd minute, but the visitors never really threatened to draw level after the break.
Diaz was the difference for long stretches. He drifted in off the left all night to give Costa Rica's defenders a problem they could not solve, and he turned provider for one of the other goals to go with his own finish. For a Colombia side that wants its best attacker firing before the tournament, this was exactly the night they were after.
James rolls back the years
James came off the bench in the second half and immediately changed the picture. He made an immediate impression with his distribution despite only playing 45 minutes, and it was his clever through ball that released Suarez to finish from a tight angle for the third in the 81st minute.
At 34 and heading to a third World Cup as captain, James has brushed off any talk of stepping away, and nights like this back him up. Colombia still look most dangerous when the ball runs through him. How Nestor Lorenzo manages those legs across a month-long tournament is one of the more interesting calls the coach faces.
Building towards the tournament
This was a controlled night for Colombia, the kind of result that builds belief without telling you everything. Costa Rica offered enough to test them in patches, and Soto's goal will give the coaching staff something to look at, but the overall picture was of a team growing into form at the right time. With the World Cup closing in, an in-form Diaz and a sharp James is the platform Colombia have been waiting to find.
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