Colombia score in the final minute to finish in 3rd place

In a game full of drama until the final moments, Colombia secured third place in the CONMEBOL Copa América 2021 with a 3-2 win against Perú. Luis Díaz, Colombia's star man, scored twice for Reinaldo Rueda's side while captain Juan Cuadrado also found the net. Yoshimar Yotún and Gianluca Lapadula got the goals for Ricardo Gareca's team, who finished in fourth place. In the first half both sides struggled to create key openings. Colombia looked to assert themselves but Peru were able to find space on the counter. It took almost 30 minutes for the first big chance of the game. Christian Cueva set up dynamic striker Gianluca Lapadula who sent his effort wide of the far post as he ran through on goal. A few minutes later the tricky winger Luis Díaz, one of the stars of the 2021 CONMEBOL Copa América, forced a smart save from Pedro Gallese. On 39 minutes, Sergio Peña broke into the area at pace and tried to round Camilo Vargas but the Colombian stopper was able to just about deny him. However, just before the break Peru were able to open the scoring. Yoshimar Yotún applied a culutured, lofted finish following a slick Peruvian break to give Ricardo Gareca's team the lead at half time. [embed]https://twitter.com/CopaAmerica/status/1413662639943786498[/embed] Colombia came out after the break with renewed energy and it was soon reflected in the score. Juan Cuadrado equalized with a powerful freekick that went through the Peruvian wall. [embed]https://twitter.com/CopaAmerica/status/1413668086071373831[/embed] Colombia's rising superstar Luis Díaz then gave Colombia the lead with an excellent finish. Vargas found the flying winger with a superb long pass and once el guajiro got going, nobody could stop him. [embed]https://twitter.com/CopaAmerica/status/1413673036696498176[/embed] With the time ticking down, it looked as though Colombia had done enough until Lapadula leapt highest at the edge of the six yard box to head Peru level. [embed]https://twitter.com/CopaAmerica/status/1413676347138977799[/embed] It seemed as though we were heading for penalties but Luis Díaz had other ideas. He picked up the ball on the left, cut inside and hit a powerful strike into the top corner. [embed]https://twitter.com/CopaAmerica/status/1413680192179081219[/embed] With that, Colombia secured their place on the podium at the 2021 CONMEBOL Copa América to round out a good tournament while Peru had to settle for fourth place.

NUMBERS FROM THE GAME

• This is the first Colombia win in the CONMEBOL Copa América on nuetral soil and the third win for Colombia in all competitions against Peru (7 draws, 8 defeats). • Luis Díaz' 2 goals against Peru mean he ends his participation at the  CONMEBOL Copa América as Colombia's top scorer (4) and equals Messi's total in the tournament. Also, he only needed 10 shots in the Copa America to reach his total, scoring 40% of his efforts on goal. This is a higher chance conversion rate than all other players with 3 or more goals (Messi, Lautaro Martínez and Lapadula). • Yoshimar Yotún scored the opener for Peru in his 105th game for the national team. With this, the midfielder equaled Paolo Guerrero and Héctor Chumpitáz as the player with the second most caps for Peru behind Roberto Palacios (128). • Juan Cuadrado's freekick was the first scored directly by Colombia at the Copa America in the 21st century.