Colombia and Uruguay had to live up to high expectations after watching Brazil and Chile go to penalty kicks. If you were going for Colombia, you had all of the excitement in the world. If you were going for Uruguay… Well, that’s a different story. Both teams came into the World Cup with high expectations, Uruguay possibly the team that was most likely to go furthest. Unfortunately for them, Luis Suarez couldn’t keep the chompers in his mouth and resulted in a 9 match suspension with Uruguay, 4 months from anything FIFA related.
Colombia has had a tough road since 1994 when it comes to the “big dance”. The death of superstar Andres Escobar shortly after being knocked out of the group stage in the 1994 World Cup hosted by the United States would bring a period of depression to Colombian soccer. Despite making it to the 1998 World Cup in France, they would go on to miss the next 3 World Cups. This time, they have arrived in Brazil to achieve glory even while missing current star Radamel Falcao. Today, James Rodriguez would let the world know that Colombia is here to win it.
The first half was pretty even when it came to possession and control of the ball. Both teams lacking true scoring opportunities but it was James Rodriguez that would draw first blood and open the game up for “Los Cafeteros”. On the 28th minute, Rodriguez trapped the ball with his chest well outside of the penalty box and would then send a powerful volley off the bottom of the cross bar and into the goal.
Even with the 1-0 lead, Colombia would struggle to take the game over. The second half would start off on a very different tone. On the 50th minute, Rodriguez would strike once more. With a ball that was originally sent in by Pablo Armero and then brought back into the front of the goal by Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, Rodriguez would be found standing virtually alone in front of the goal for an easy kick to make it 2-0 lead for Colombia.
The rest of the game would be controlled by Uruguay but “La Celeste” would find nothing as they would then be eliminated as the final whistle blew. We can also not forget about Colombian goalkeeper, David Ospina. Although the majority of his saves were not “flashy”, they were played safely. Any threat Uruguay would pose, he would kill once the ball was in the air and in the perimeter.
James Rodriguez has shined in this edition of the FIFA World Cup. The 22 year old goal scorer has lived up to the #10. In 4 matches, he has netted 5 goals, making it easier for the Colombians to forget about Falcao. This would also be the very first time The Colombian National Team has ever made it to the quarterfinals. Next, they’ll face the host nation, Brazil after surviving a penalty shootout versus Chile. Although Brazil may go in as the favorite, Colombia will surely put up a stronger fight than Chile did earlier today.
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