Copa America 2019: Colombia 1-0 Qatar - Three observations from the match
Colombia secured a place in the quarter-finals after a hard-fought win over guests Qatar.
Atalanta star Duvan Zapata was the difference maker once again as he broke the deadlock in the 86th minute, heading home an outrageous cross from James Rodriguez.
With a poor management of the game by the referee frustrating the fans, the match was also interspersed with heated exchanges between the players, as well as with the official himself, thereby leaving the game besmirched.
Let's break it all down by highlighting the key aspects of the match from these observations:
#1 Duvan Zapata is Colombia's new talisman
Even though James Rodriguez was the real architect behind the goal with a superb outside-of-the-boot assist - his fourth for Los Cafeteros in the last eight games, Duvan Zapata is fast emerging to be the team's new talisman.
After a late strike against Argentina to consolidate an unlikely win on the opening day, the Atalanta FC hitman once again struck late on, but this time to secure a vital victory.
Having tested the Qatari defense on numerous occasions before this without success, he rose high enough to meet Rodriguez's pin-point cross and headed home in the 85th minute to finally break the deadlock.
He's now on level terms with Chile's Eduardo Vargas in the race for Golden Boot, while this was also the third consecutive game that he was on target for Colombia.
Having lit up the Serie A last season with a 23-goal blitzkrieg, including the outrageous run of scoring in eight consecutive matches, Zapata's stock continues to grace newer heights with each outing. He was the most potent threat to Qatar this evening, attempting five shots whilst also laying two key passes.
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