Colombia beat Bolivia 2-0 Sunday to finish top of group A and reach the quarter Copa America finals, regardless of the result in the game between Argentina and Costa Rica.
After a scrappy opening ten minutes, Colombia began to take control of the first half. Its authority was rewarded after 14 minutes with the simplest of goals. Dayro Moreno played the ball through from the left back position, Radamel Falcao beat the offside trap, and finished calmly with his left foot into the far corner.
The second goal came from the penalty spot in the 27th minute. The referee had no choice but to point to the spot when Pablo Amero was clearly brought down inside the box by the Bolivian defender Santos Amador, and Falcao stepped up to double his team's advantage. The Colombian players then rushed to the touchline in celebration to hold up an "Ospina" shirt, in tribute to the Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina, who was injured on the eve of the tournament.
Bolivia did not offer much in terms of a goal threat, but their forward Juan Carlos Arce did offer some flashes of skill when he received the ball in and around the Colombian penalty area.
It could have been three nil in the 41st minute, after good build up work from Colombia, but Adrian Ramos headed over and wide from 6m out.
The second half began with pressure from Bolivia, culminating in its best chance of the game coming nine minutes into the second half. An attempted clearance from Mario Yepes fell straight to an opposition player, with the cross eventually falling to Jhasmani Campo, who failed to hit the target from within the penalty area.
Following this, the game began to lose steam, with Colombia once again controlling play and enjoying the majority of possession. It could have added to its lead, with Falcao and Hugo Rodallega, a half time substitute, both coming close.The Colombian defense remained water tight, marshaled once again by the excellent Yepes, who have now completed the three group stage games without conceding a single goal.
Colombia will now face the best third-place finisher in the quarter finals as reward for topping their group. It has finished top, with seven points from three games, and with their performances improving in each game will hope to carry it's momentum into the next round.
