Maybe Colombia knew what it was doing the whole time. Even though it was beaten by Costa Rica in its last group stage match to finish behind the United States in Group A, it got the last laugh, drawing a significantly easier test in the quarterfinals against Peru than the U.S. will have against Ecuador.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Peru +625
Colombia -175
Draw +275
Over/Under 2 (over -140)
ODDS ANALYSIS
Colombia might be a runner up here in this quarterfinal tie, but you wouldn't know that by looking at the Copa America betting odds. Los Cafeteros are favored by a full goal on the Asian Handicap and a -175 margin on the moneyline. The team is a comfortable -220 favorite to get into the semifinals.
The total is a little higher than what we've come to know about Copa America at 2 and -140 vig on the over.
TOURNAMENT UPDATE
Peru most certainly earned its spot atop Group B. The team earned its win over Haiti in the first match of its tournament in Seattle, and it got off to a bright start against Ecuador and arguably deserved better than a 2-2 draw.
It's the third match which many will be talking about for years to come. By all accounts, the Peruvians were outplayed by Brazil. Their goal was probably the result of a handball, but to their credit, they fought through a lot of big time Brazilian attacks and never wavered. Yes, a draw, and Peru would've been left out in the cold with five points, but the fact that it finished that improbable victory sent mighty Brazil home and secured that crucial spot in the quarters.
Colombia really looked like it was going to cruise to nine points in Group A after whooping up on the United States by a 2-0 final on the opening day of the tournament. A 2-1 win over Paraguay was more comprehensive than the final score suggested. Even after allowing an early goal to Costa Rica, Colombia had the answer four minutes later to level the match.
It was then though, that things started to fall apart. A Costa Rican team which didn't score a goal in either of its first two matches went on to put home a second and third goal in a span of less than an hour, and Los Cafeteros never really had the answers. The 3-2 loss sent them under the Stars and Stripes in Group A, but that isn't going to take away from the fact that Colombia is still one of the favorites to win Copa America Centenario.
LIVE BETTING
James Rodriguez and Carlos Bacca were just so good in those first two matches for Colombia, and we have to think that will be the case again in this fixture as well.
These two men have a history of being incredibly dangerous for Colombia, as they have 28 goals between them in a total of 75 matches between them. Notice that neither one scored against Costa Rica, though. Neither one started, and Rodriguez came on in the second half to try to change the pace of the game. With these two now rested and ready to go again, Peru is going to have its work cut out for it.
QUICK PICK
It's been a nice run for Peru, but it's all coming to a close here. Four different men scored in the group stage, but no one was truly dominant, and the goals mostly came against the run of play.
Every now and again, you do see these teams come out of nowhere to pull off big upsets in the knockout rounds, but it isn't all that often. The cream generally rises to the top eventually. Peru shouldn't have any answers for Rodriguez and Bacca. We suspect Colombia will look a lot like it did in the USA match, and if that's the case, it'll be onto the semis.
Copa America Odds: Colombia 3, Peru 0
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