Goals: Colombia—Armero 5' Gutierrez 58' James 90'+3
Recap: An early goal from Colombia's Pablo Armero set the tone for Saturday's clash in Belo Horizonte, seeing his national team capture a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Greece.
Despite conceding a majority of the possession (52 percent), Colombia's potency shined brighter than the ambiance at Estadio Mineirao. A disoriented performance saw the Greek's listlessly chip and punt the ball forward in hopes of connecting on a cross; however, it never came. Colombia consistently pushed forward with its possession, looking to punish the Greeks. Teofilo Gutierrez landed a haymaker in the 58th minute, burying Abel Aguilar's flick on a corner-kick situation.
James Rodriguez landed the final blow in stoppage time to seal the 3-0 win.
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Key Moment: Greece's chances came few and far between, but the opportunity was there to cut the deficit in half. Just five minutes after conceding Teofilo's goal, a cross from Vasilis Torosidis thundered off the head of Theofanis Gekas. Unfortunately for the 34-year-old, it clattered off the crossbar instead of tickling the back of the net. Even with the goal, it wouldn't have been enough for Greece on the day, but it certainly would've made the final 30 minutes more uncomfortable for Colombia.
Man of the Match: Colombia's Mario Yepes frustrated Greece's attack, but it was James Rodriguez that stole the show in Belo Horizonte. The 22-year-old consistently delivered the pace for 90 minutes. His 87 touches and three dribbles were finally rewarded in stoppage time.
Lesson Learned: The injury to Radamel Falcao was enough for some to assume Colombia would be left behind in Group C. Today, at the Estadio Mineiro, Colombia proved those assumptions were misguided. A deep striker pool—one deep enough to keep Sevilla's Carlos Bacca from playing a single minute—put the rest of Group C on notice. Colombia, and more importantly its fans, are in Brazil to make some noise.
Up Next: Colombia visit Brasilia to face the Ivory Coast on June 19, while Greece attempt to rebound in Natal against Japan.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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