This is not the first time the midfielder has been affected by shoulder problems, having encountered similar trouble in Real Madrid’s Champions League last-16 trip to Roma last season. The Colombians took the lead after only eight minutes, when poor marking at a set-piece delivered a chance to Zapata.
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Ultimately, though, the end result was the hosts’ sixth straight defeat in Copa America matches.
An early goal from center-half Cristian Zapata and a penalty from captain James Rodriguez just before the break was enough to see the South Americans take all three points in the opening game of the centenary competition.
The Colombian playmaker dislocated his shoulder in the 72nd minute, following a disputed ball with United States national team captain Michael Bradley, which forced Rodriguez out of the game; Guillermo Celis replaced him a minute later.
In the meantime the Colombian side was given a penalty in the 40th minute when the referee judged that DeAndre Yedlin had illegally handled a cross. “He was really fighting that fight very positively ’til the very last second, so we wish that one goes in then you build on that one”. In the 36th minute, Clint Dempsey found himself in space at the top of the box, but his curling effort missed the net by a few inches.
“I’ll start rooting for the usa when we start playing the right way and developing players”, he said before the Colombians showcased their skills in a 2-0 victory.
The next match will be on Saturday, June 4, between the national teams of Costa Rica and Paraguay.
“We were okay with the team performance”. With Bradley marking Daniel Torres, Zapata circled around the pair to get away from Cameron, and the defender scored his first goal in 42 worldwide appearances.
“I don’t want to think the worst about James, but we will have to wait until the medical staff says otherwise”, Colombia coach Jose Pekerman said.
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Ten teams from South America are joined by six teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, in what is arguably the biggest tournament to be staged on USA soil since the 1994 World Cup. They got another scoring opportunity in the 60th minute off a Michael Bradley corner kick, but Dempsey’s header was cleared off the line. The United States must now regroup in time for their second match against World Cup quarter-finalists Costa Rica on Tuesday.
