Colombia put up an incredible offensive display on Sunday to defeat Poland 3-0 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Yerry Mina, Radamel Falcao, and Juan Cuadrado were all impressive, as the trio found the back of the net for Colombia, which remained in contention for the prestigious title. On the other hand, the defeat eliminated Poland from the World Cup after it lost in its previous two games.
Rodriguez Is Unsung Hero
However, those goals wouldn't happen if not for the heroics of Bayern Munich star James Rodriguez, who finished with two assists for Colombia. Rodriguez was just limited to 30 minutes in Colombia's opening game loss to Japan after suffering from a drastic calf strain.
Fighting for its tournament hopes, Rodriguez made sure that Colombia won't be going home early, as he managed to thread a pass to Mina, who headed a goal in the 40th minute to put the South Americans in the driver seat, 1-0. Poland didn't go home without a fight, as Bartosz Bereszynski found himself open early in the second, but his cross was off target.
Besides providing the necessary goods in the offensive department, the 23-year-old Mina, who scored his World Cup goal, has been doing wonders defensively. The Barcelona defender played a huge part in containing Polish marksmen Robert Lewandowski in the game. Lewandowski has yet to score a single goal in the World Cup.
If one time wasn't enough, Poland had another opportunity to score courtesy of Lewandowski, who caught a long ball with an exquisite first touch, but his shot was denied by goalkeeper David Ospina. Looking to put away the game for good, Falcao outsmarted the Polish backline to stay onside and score a goal in the 70th minute off a pass from Juan Fernando Quintero to take a 2-0 lead.
The 70th-minute goal marked the first World Cup goal for Colombia's all-time leading scorer Falcao. He was unable to play in the 2014 World Cup due to an injury.
Rodriguez sealed the deal for Colombia as he unleashed a brilliant pass to Cuadrado, who in turn fired a shot that squeezed past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. It was also the fourth assists in the World Cup for Rodriguez. With his fourth assists, Rodriguez has now taken part in 10 goals in seven World Cup appearances for Colombia.
The Colombians hope to sustain its momentum when it takes on the battle-tested Senegalese squad on Thursday in Samara. Earlier in the tournament, Senegal shocked everyone when it beat Poland 2-1. Meanwhile, Poland hopes to end its World Cup campaign on a strong note as it battles Japan in the Volgograd Arena.
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