Colombia 3-2 Peru: Diaz stunner settles Copa America third-place play-off
Porto winger Diaz, who had put Colombia 2-1 ahead midway through the second half, settled a thrilling contest in the 94th minute with an exceptional long-range effort.
It came 12 minutes on from Gianluca Lapadula’s equaliser, after Juan Cuadrado had cancelled out Yoshimar Yotun’s opener, with the match seemingly destined for penalties – Colombia having gone the distance in both previous knockout rounds.
Yet Diaz ensured third place was theirs without the need for such drama, capping off an impressive campaign for Reinaldo Rueda’s side, who also gained revenge for a group-stage defeat.
Peru should have gone ahead in the 28th minute – Lapadula to drilling wide when one-on-one with Camilo Vargas.
Carlos Cueva teed up that chance, and Peru’s chief creator was at it again on the stroke of half-time, scampering down the left to race onto Sergio Pena’s long pass, before cutting inside to find the onrushing Yotun, who made no mistake with an excellent first-time finish.
Peru’s lead was short-lived, however, with Cuadrado sneaking in a free-kick at Pedro Gallese’s near post to restore parity shortly after the restart.
