Home fans may be in raptures, but the neutrals are in mourning after Colombia, whose stunning soccer and winning smiles lit up the World Cup during their best-ever run, were thwarted 2-1 by host nation Brazil in their quarter-final on Friday.
A close range finish by Brazil captain Thiago Silva early on and a second-half thunderbolt from David Luiz put the home side 2-0 ahead, and playmaker James Rodriguez’s 80th minute penalty in reply was not enough to salvage the game.
Rodriguez, the poster boy of the tournament for his attacking skill and boyish charm, was inconsolable after the game and he will not be alone.
Photo: AFP
The departing South Americans provided some of the standout moments of the Cup, from Rodriguez’s stunning volley in the 2-0 defeat of Uruguay to the team’s catchy dance routine as the goals poured in.
Colombia swept aside Greece 3-0 in their opening Group C encounter, and were only really troubled in the next match, a narrow 2-1 defeat of Ivory Coast in Brasilia.
Then came a 4-1 thrashing of Japan in Cuiaba followed by Colombia’s crowning achievement in Brazil, a comprehensive 2-0 win over Uruguay at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, where the final is to be played on Sunday next week.
Colombia did not qualify for the World Cup in 2002, 2006 and 2010, and had to make do without injured playmaker Radamel Falcao, whose absence some predicted would end their chances.
It made their achievement in Brazil all the more remarkable.
Colombia’s passage through the last 16 was serene and included one of the goals of the tournament when Rodriguez chested a pass into the air and hit a left-foot volley that crashed in off the bar.
The moment of inspiration, a second goal and Friday’s penalty put the 22-year-old ahead of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Thomas Mueller at the top of the goal-scoring chart with six, and cemented his place as the revelation of the World Cup.
“When one superstar is gone, another one has to step up. And that is Rodriguez,” former Colombian great Carlos Valderrama said of his heir apparent.
However, 11 goals for and two against in their opening four matches underlined how Colombia were not only about the attacking flair of Rodriguez and Jackson Martinez.
Mario Yepes, aged 38 and with more than 100 caps, used all his experience to lead the back line, and his crucial role was singled out by coach Jose Pekerman after the narrow win over Ivory Coast.
Pekerman himself has been instrumental to Colombia’s renaissance, joining the team in the midst of the World Cup qualifiers and guiding them safely through.
The Argentine showed his human side in the game against Japan, bringing on veteran goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon, who had just turned 43, with five minutes to go to make him the oldest player to appear at a World Cup.
The Colombia-dominated crowd erupted as Mondragon, wiping tears from his face, came onto the pitch, a moving image that reminded the watching world the tournament was not only about winning at all costs.
The South Americans’ success in Brazil has been important at home, because it coincided with the 20th anniversary of the death of defender Andres Escobar, gunned down after scoring an own goal in the World Cup.
In one of the darkest chapters of soccer history, Escobar was shot outside a bar in Medellin on July 2, 1994, in apparent retribution for an own goal he scored days earlier, hastening Colombia’s exit from the World Cup in the US.
His death was synonymous with a 1990s Colombia racked by violence and drug cartels, and fans have hailed the success of Rodriguez and his team as a sign of the nation’s rebirth.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at