Colombia vs. Panama final score: Copa America 2024 result as James Rodriguez stars to help Cafeteros reach semifinals

Kyle Bonn

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Colombia vs. Panama final score: Copa America 2024 result as James Rodriguez stars to help Cafeteros reach semifinals image

After failing to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Colombia were at a crossroads. Two years later, they’ve extended their incredible unbeaten streak to 27 games as they topped Panama 5-0 in the 2024 Copa America quarterfinals.

Colombia’s reward for topping Group D ahead of Brazil was to draw the surprise knockout qualifiers, and Los Cafeteros took full advantage as they pummeled their CONCACAF opponents behind a star performance from James Rodriguez.

The 32-year-old has begun to fade as his career slows at club level, but he remains a mercurial force at major international tournaments, delivering a goal and two assists in Glendale to lead Colombia into the semifinals.

It got going early as Rodriguez fed Jhon Cordoba for the opening goal just eight minutes into the match, and Colombia were well and truly on their way. Rodriguez doubled the lead from the penalty spot not long afterwards, and he grabbed his third goal contribution of the game before halftime when a cheeky quick free-kick fed Luis Diaz for a delightful chip.

The 3-0 halftime lead left the winner in little doubt, but Colombia added a fourth in the second half when Richard Rios finished it off in the 70th minute on a sloppy goal after Panama players wrongly anticipated the referee's whistle to their own detriment.

Miguel Borja added a fifth in injury time from the penalty spot, and Colombia will now meet either Brazil or Uruguay in the semifinals.

Either of those is a tall order regardless of who advances through, but the unbeaten streak has passed many tests already and it will next be up against its strongest challenge yet.

Colombia vs. Panama final score

 ScoreGoal scorers
Colombia5Cordoba (8'),
J. Rodriguez (15', pen),
Diaz (41'),
Rios (70'),
Borja (90+4')
Panama0 

Venue: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ)
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)

Starting lineups:

Colombia (4-3-3, right to left): 12. Vargas (GK) — 21. Munoz (S. Arias, 73'), 23. D. Sanchez, 2. Cuesta, 17. Mojica — 6. Rios, 15. Uribe, 11. J. Arias (Carrascal, 65') — 10. J. Rodriguez (Quintero, 73'), 24. Cordoba (Borja, 79'), 7. Diaz (Sinisterra, 65').

Panama (5-4-1, right to left): 22. Mosquera (GK) — 23. Murillo, 24. Farina, 3. Cordoba, 25. Miller (Harvey, 46'), 15. E. Davis (Valencia, 83') — 2. Blackman (Guerrero, 46'), 6. Martinez (Ayarza, 62'), 14. Welch, 10. Barcenas — 17. Fajardo (I. Diaz, 85').

Colombia vs. Panama live updates, highlights from Copa America 2024

FULLTIME: Colombia 5-0 Panama

Total domination from Colombia from start to finish as they clobber Panama and advance to the Copa America semifinals, moving the unbeaten streak to 27 games in the process.

James Rodriguez is the star performer, but there are plenty of Colombians who can be proud of their performances. Jhon Cordoba and Richard Rios got goals, as did dribbling wizard Luis Diaz, who feasted on spaces in behind a desperate opponent playing from behind early.

Colombia's unbeaten streak will now be tested against one of CONMEBOL's strongest sides, either Brazil or Uruguay, in the semifinals!

90+2 min: PENALTY, COLOMBIA! A yellow card is shown to Jose Cordoba as he pulverizes Santiago Arias in the penalty area while the Colombian substitute is on the run chasing a long ball. It's a truly reckless and unnecessary challenge that unfortunately leaves the Panama defender in worse shape.

Eventually, when the medical staff clears the situation, Miguel Borja steps up to take, and...GOAL! COLOMBIA! He sends Orlando Mosquera the wrong way and buries the penalty! That's the last kick of the match as the referee sees no reason to continue with two added minutes long gone.

85th min: Colombian substitute Miguel Borja looks to be through on goal but he's tackled at the last possible moment and then whistled for offside.

80th min: Chance, Panama! The CONCACAF nation isn't going down quietly, and a shot by Michael Murillo from out top the penalty area forces a big save by Camilo Vargas!

73rd min: Straight after the goal, there's more changes for Colombia as Daniel Munoz exits play after assisting Colombia's fourth goal, replaced by Santiago Arias. Also entering is Juan Quintero who takes James Rodriguez's place on the wing.

A few minutes later, Jhon Cordoba is hauled off and replaced by Miguel Borja.

70th min: GOAL! COLOMBIA! There's confusion all over the field, and Colombia take advantage as Richard Rios has a fourth for his national team!

It appeared that the official was about to stop play as there's a blatant foul by Jovani Welch on Daniel Munoz at the top of the 18-yard box, a clear-as-day penalty. The official put the whistle to his mouth, and all the defenders stopped playing, but the whistle never blew, and Rios blasts the ball into the net! Panama can have no complaints, as the referee let play go for just a moment and the advantage worked to Colombia's advantage!

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64th min: Now another yellow card is shown to Panama defender Edgardo Farina who scythes down Luis Diaz from behind as the Liverpool man charged in on goal. It's a really bad tackle, with a scissor motion from behind, reminiscent of the borderline dirty challenges they had in the final stages of the match against the United States.

Sure enough, Colombia boss Nestor Lorenzo knows there's no reason to leave Diaz in to take further punishment, and he hauls the star winger off, replaced by Luis Sinisterra. Jorge Carrascal also enters the match to replace Jhon Arias. You imagine James Rodriguez probably isn't long for this match either.

58th min: Panama are starting to foul Colombia off the pitch. Eric Davis takes down Luis Diaz while another Colombian player lays on the pitch from a coming-together seconds earlier. They were borderline dirty against the United States in their upset win during group play, and you wonder as this game goes on if their frustration begins to get the best of them.

54th min: A yellow card is shown to Jovani Welch, who body checks James Rodriguez to the ground. The Italian referee immediately goes to his pocket, but it's a bit unlucky for the Panama player who maybe was himself the subject of a foul from his Colombian counterpart, but his hands up to the face of James probably swung things in the other direction.

49th min: Luis Diaz is licking his chops at the space in behind the Panama full-backs, who are pushed high as they search for a lifeline. This time, he's brought down by a very good tackle from Jose Fajardo, but it's left the Panama striker in a great deal of pain.

This is quite concerning for Panama, as Fajardo has been their best goal-scoring threat at the 2024 Copa America. Thankfully, he's eventually ok to come back on.

2nd half kickoff: They're back under way in Glendale, and Panama have made two changes, as Eduardo Guerrero and Carlos Harvey come on to replace Roderick Miller and Cesar Blackman.

The CONCACAF side looked bright after falling behind 2-0, but the risks taken to go all-out attack caused them to concede again. Will they have anything to challenge Colombia from securing a smooth, effortless win?

HALFTIME: Colombia 3-0 Panama

Colombia are in complete control, and well on their way to a semifinal berth. They got two early as James Rodriguez became the first player in Copa America history to score and assist a goal in the opening 15 minutes of a match (since assist tracking began in 2011), and then he assisted a second as Luis Diaz put them three out in front.

Panama had one good spell after falling two goals behind, but the Diaz goal put an abrupt stop to that spirited effort. Colombia have made sure this one's not in doubt, and it would take a Herculean comeback for Panama to even have a sniff.

Rodriguez ends the opening 45 minutes with a goal and two assists, as the 32-year-old has had a brilliant revival this summer.

45th min: The game's first yellow card is shown to Colombia midfielder Mateus Uribe for a bad tackle on Cristian Martinez.

41st min: GOAL! COLOMBIA! Just as Panama were looking to break back into the game, Colombia has gone three in front and killed off the game! Off a quick restart that even catches the camera crew off guard, a free-kick is delivered on the run for Luis Diaz. It's dropped straight into a bucket by James Rodriguez, and the Liverpool man chips the goalkeeper expertly for the finish! What a gut punch!

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39th min: James Rodriguez is down on the ground rolling around in agony after a challenge by Jovani Welch. Colombia want a booking for Welch, but there's such incidental contact that nothing is rightly given. James is fine and comes back onto the pitch after a short time on the touchline for treatment.

36th min: Panama have a free-kick from a dangerous position about 25 yards out in a central position after Jose Cordoba is fouled out top of the semi-circle. Edgar Barcenas blasts it straight into the wall.

34th min: Panama midfielder Jovani Welch ends up with a surprising amount of space to shoot while on the ball about 35 yards from goal, but his effort is disappointing and one-hops into the safe arms of Camilo Vargas.

28th min: Chance, Colombia! Panama's recent push forward has been bright for the most part, but it's also leaving spaces in behind. Colombia nearly take advantage, as Jhon Arias finds himself in a two-on-two situation, and rifles a shot that's seeking the top-left corner but is deflected out for a corner.

23rd min: Panama have had an exceptional response after the two early Colombia goals. They've turned on the jets and are troubling the Colombia back line on numerous occasions. They've started pressing hard in midfield and are forcing a number of turnovers as a result.

18th min: Chance, Panama! WHOA! What a chance for the underdogs to pull one back! From a free-kick about 30 yards out, it's directed on net by Roderick Miller, and the headed effort hits the woodwork! Incredibly, the ball redirects along the goal mouth, and is absolutely on a line for the back of the net...but somehow goalkeeper Camilo Vargas, who was rooted to the spot on the header, scrambles awkwardly to clear the chance!

The goalkeeper knew NOTHING about it, but was in the right place at the right time to make an absurd save! The incident cannot be checked to see if the ball went over the line, as CONMEBOL is not using goal-line technology at the Copa America and there are no cameras along the goal line...which seems an odd decision for sure.

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13th min: PENALTY, COLOMBIA! Oh, it's a terrible mistake by Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera, who reaches to parry away the ball but gets all of Jhon Arias's legs instead! The incident takes place at an extremely tight angle near the end line, in a position where Mosquera did not need to come off his line!

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It's a clear penalty, and VAR confirms the decision! It took ages for the review to take place, but eventually, it's a penalty indeed! James Rodriguez steps up to take, as the captain of the side, and...GOAL! COLOMBIA!

You knew he wasn't missing with that chance, and he roofs it into the top-right corner! Absolutely thumped!

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8th min: GOAL! COLOMBIA! The opener has arrived just minutes into the game as James Rodriguez picks up his fourth assist of the tournament with a dangerous corner delivery, and Jhon Cordoba finishes it off with a headed flick right on the doorstep!

That's some real physicality from Cordoba who wrestled his way around a defender (ironically, Jose Cordoba) and found the connection! And James Rodriguez now has twice as many assists as anyone else at the tournament.

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6th min: There's an early flashpoint as Luis Diaz hits the deck under a challenge from Edgardo Farina, who smacked Diaz in the face while shielding the ball. These are often incidents that are difficult for the defenders to prevent, but Farina was reckless there with his body positioning.

Farina is lucky not to get a yellow card, as his arm was all over Diaz's face, and the Liverpool man is slow to get up, but does not have any blood to deal with.

Kickoff: They're under way at State Farm Stadium in Glendale! James Rodriguez looks to captain his side into the Copa America semifinals, where the winner will meet either Brazil or Uruguay.

Colombia vs. Panama: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more

15 mins to kickoff: One under-the-radar player for Colombia has been midfielder Richard Rios, who plays for Brazilian giants Palmeiras and has just 10 international caps at age 24. He was the leader in the 2024 Copa America group stage with 12 completed dribbles, including eight against Paraguay, with a 75 percent success rate. This match could get him noticed by European clubs if he continues to have that same success!

30 mins to kickoff: Colombia head coach Nestor Lorenzo has been a revelation for Los Cafeteros, hauling them from the doldrums of 2021 and into a revival.

Lorenzo is relatively inexperienced, in just his second senior managerial job after debuting with Peruvian club Melgar before joining Colombia. Yet he didn't come out of nowhere — Lorenzo was an assistant with the Colombia national team for seven years, which is an eternity, especially in South America.

Since taking charge of Colombia, Lorenzo has not suffered a single defeat in 23 matches, with the side on a 26-game unbeaten streak.

45 mins to kickoff: Panama captain Anibal Godoy is not with the side at the 2024 Copa America, leaving the national team down a player on their roster. The 34-year-old with 141 caps was injured in the warm-up fixtures, and Panama swapped him with Xelaju defender Harold Cummings as an injury replacement.

Except, then Cummings decided to turn down the call-up after Panama had already registered him as part of their roster. Because Cummings was not injured, he could not then be replaced himself, and thus Panama were left a man down for the competition. An unfortunate and wacky situation all-around.

1 hour to kickoff: The lineups are in for both sides. It's as expected for Colombia, with just two like-for-like changes. Mateus Uribe comes into midfield to spell the suspended Jefferson Lerma, while Johan Mojica returns to the XIf at left-back for Deiver Machado.

For Panama, there's just one surprise as Roderick Miller, who plays for Azerbaijan club Turan Tovuz, takes over at center-back for Carlos Harvey.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: Luis Diaz is hoping a win here could potentially see him match up against his Liverpool teammate Darwin Nunez in the semifinals, as long as Nunez and Uruguay do their part in the second match of the day against Brazil.

1 hour 30 mins to kick: Missing for Panama is midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla, who is serving the second of his two-game suspension for a truly hideous challenge against Christian Pulisic of the United States. Carrasquilla wound up and hacked Pulisic right in the shin late and intentionally, a truly dirty play.

His absence wasn't an issue for Panama against lowly Bolivia, but it'll be a major issue here against Brazil. His creativity will be sorely missed, having created five chances in his two games at the tournament, connecting on 96 of 108 passes, an 89% success rate.

1 hour 45 mins to kick: Coming into the 2024 Copa America, there were questions about whether 32-year-old James Rodriguez was even a starter for Colombia. He's put those questions to bed emphatically, as his three assists and 14 chances created both lead the Copa America field of players.

2 hours before kickoff: Welcome to The Sporting News' coverage of Colombia vs. Panama in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Copa America. Colombia are in the midst of a 26-game unbeaten run that dates back an incredible two years, all the way to early 2022 when they fell short of World Cup qualification. Since that time, they've been unbeatable, as head coach Nestor Lorenzo builds them back to being a CONMEBOL contender.

Colombia vs. Panama kickoff time

 DateKickoff time
USA/CanadaSat, Jul. 66 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT
UKSat, Jul. 611 p.m. BST
AustraliaSun, Jul. 68 a.m. AEST
IndiaSun, Jul. 63:30 a.m. IST

Colombia vs. Panama lineups, team news, starting 11

Colombia will be without Crystal Palace midfielder Jefferson Lerma who is suspended after picking up a second yellow card of the tournament against Brazil in the group stage finale.

Bologna center-back Jhon Lucumi was injured in the opener blocking a shot by Julio Enciso, and has not played since. The injury is bad enough that defender Davinson Sanchez held up Lucumi's jersey after scoring his goal against Costa Rica, dedicating the strike to his injured teammate.

In the twilight of his career, 32-year-old James Rodriguez started every game of the group stage for Colombia, with three assists so far.

Colombia starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Vargas (GK) — Munoz, D. Sanchez, Cuesta, Mojica — Rios, Uribe, J. Arias — J. Rodriguez, Cordoba, Diaz.

Colombia subs (13): Montero (GK), Ospina (GK), Machado, S. Arias, Mina, Carrascal, Quintero, Castano, Duran, Sinisterra, Borja, Borre, Asprilla.

Panama are still without suspended captain Adalberto Carrasquilla who was given a straight red card late in the win over the United States for a truly hideous kick on Christian Pulisic. The incident was bad enough that he was given an additional game by CONMEBOL on top of the automatic one-game suspension for a red card.

Jose Fajardo had two goals in the group stage to lead Panama, starting at striker over Eduardo Guerrero. Goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera has not kept a clean sheet, but head coach Thomas Christensen refused to make a change to the more experienced Luis Mejia.

Panama starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Mosquera (GK) — Murillo, Farina, Cordoba, Miller, E. Davis — Blackman, C. Martinez, Welch, Barcenas — Fajardo.

Panama subs (12): Samudio (GK), Mejia (GK), Anderson, Valencia, Ayarza, Harvey, Yanis, Gondola, Anderson, Lenis, Guerrero, I. Diaz.

Colombia vs. Panama live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch this 2024 Copa America match across selected areas of the world's major regions:

RegionTVStreaming
USAFS1, TUDN, UnivisionFubo, Fox Sports app/website, TUDN app/website, ViX
CanadaTSN4, RDS 2TSN+, RDS app
UKPremier Sports 1Premier Sports player
Australia —Optus Sport

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WATCH LIVE

USA: This match will be televised in the United States on FS1, which can be streamed on Fubo. There is also a Spanish-language broadcast available on TUDN and Univision, two channels also accessible on Fubo. There is also a Spanish-language stream via ViX.

Canada: The Copa America can be viewed in Canada on TSN channels, while a French-language broadcast of this match is available on RDS.

Australia: The exclusive rights-holder of the Copa America in Australia is Optus Sport.

UK: The entirety of the 2024 Copa America can be found on Premier Sports 1, with streaming on Premier Sports player.

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Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.