Japan vs. Colombia, World Cup 2014: Colombia captures Group C with big victory over Japan
If Japan thought they could give Colombia a run for their money, consider the Japanese World Cup team bankrupt.
Colombia captured the victory and the Group C title with a resounding 4-1 victory over the Japanese, thanks to the efforts of rising star James Rodriguez, according to the The Independent.
Rodriguez came off the bench and assisted on two of Colombia’s four goals, both assists to Jackson Martinez. Both assists delighted the crowd at Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba. Martinez took a deft foot pass from Rodriquez and sent it goal-ward at the 55th minute. Martinez then took a precise through pass from Rodriguez at the 82nd minute which led to a wide-open pitch, and an easy shot into the goal. Rodriguez himself scored in the 90th minute of the match, twisting and turning his defender into the ground to open up a scoring lane. Juan Cuadrado had started the Colombian onslaught with a penalty kick goal in the 17th minute.
The win means Colombia will move on to the knock0ut round, where they will face Uruguay. Greece will be the second team from Group C to go to the knockout round, where they will face Costa Rica.
Japan, for its part, finishes with no victories and only one point, which lands Japan at the bottom of Group C. Japan had come in with high hopes for this World Cup, according to SB Nation. Samurai Blue, as the Japanese team had become known, did show signs of hope, when Shinji Okazaki scored on a pass from Keisuke Honda at the stroke of halftime to tie the game. Japan was unable to break through the Columbian defense during the second half, costing themselves any chance of advancing to the knockout round.
Rodriguez continues to cement his status as soccer’s new rising international star. He has scored a goal in all three World Cup games, launching his already rising star to new heights. Before the World Cup, he became Colombia’s most expensive player, at 35 million pounds for Ligue Un club. Now, rumors abound that he may explore going to France or England for a bigger stage, and even bigger payday.
Rodriguez is focusing on taking a very formidable Colombia team further into the World Cup. Colombia’s best effort came back in 1990, where they lost in the round of eight.
Jackson Martinez was named the Man Of The Match for his two goals. It was Rodriguez, however, who solidified himself as the star of the future.
