A rematch of the 2015 Copa America will decide the centennial championship.
Chile used a pair of early goals to defeat Colombia, 2-0, in a Copa America Centenario semifinals match at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, on Wednesday night. Charles Aranguiz scored seven minutes in off a rebound to give the Chileans the lead, and Jose Fuenzalida doubled the advantage four minutes later to give the reigning Copa America champions a comfortable lead.
A lengthy weather delay that lasted more than two hours postponed the game at halftime, but Colombia still could not find much of a rhythm in the attack after the break and were shutout for the second consecutive match in this tournament.
Chile will now play Leo Messi and Argentina in the title game for the second consecutive year on Sunday while Colombia face the US in the third-place match a day earlier.
Box Score
- 7' - CHI - Charles Aranguiz
- 11' - CHI - Jose Fuenzalida
- Full box score
- Stats
Three Things
- PICKING UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF: After surprisingly beating Mexico 7-0 in the quarterfinals, Chile came out of the gates flying vs. Colombia. The Chileans found a early opener through Charles Aranguiz and kept overwhelming the Colombians en route to finding an insurance goal via Jose Fuenzalida. It took Colombia until then to wake up and try to fight back, but it was too little too late.
- MISSING IN ACTION: James Rodriguez had another subpar performance for Colombia, and this time it proved costly. Whereas against Peru, Rodriguez's showing did not affect the game all that much, this time it left Colombia searching for answers in the attack. The Colombians had trouble getting clear-cut chances on goal as a result, and were shut out for the second straight match.
- DELAY DILEMMA: The lengthy postponement at halftime because of weather killed both teams' rhythms. The second half was, understandably, nowhere near as impressive as the opening stanza. Both teams struggled with the ball, and neither was able to get going much in the attack.
Next Up
- COL: Third-place match vs. US (Saturday, 8 pm ET; FX, Univision, UDN)
- CHI: Copa America Centenario Final vs. Argentina (Sunday, 8 pm ET; FS1, Univision, UDN)
