COLOMBIA 2-1 IVORY COAST
A poor first half for both teams as they struggled to settle in to the flow of the game. Colombia appeared comfortable sitting back in their own end to defending and exploding out on the counter-attack when they got opportunities. Their best chance came in the 28th minute as a quick counter led to a 2 on 1. James Rodriguez did well to cross the ball in to the penalty area but Teofilo Gutierrez made a has of the finish, getting the ball trapped in his legs and it bounced harmlessly away.
Ivory Coast had the better of possession in the first half but were limited offensively to long crosses in to the Colombian penalty area. Unable to use their size effectively in the penalty area as they had against Japan, they appeared frustrated with their lack of chances at goal.
Ivory Coast had a great chance to open the second half after Yaya Toure found a relatively unmarked Wilfried Bony in the Colombian box. Bony went for the spectacular finish though with an attempted bicycle kick that never made contact. Bony left the game shortly after right as Colombia blew the game wide open.
Juan Guillermo Cuadrado came close to scoring in the 59th. A pair of step-overs freed him up in the area but Boubacar Barry got enough hands on the rocket shot to direct it in to the post and wide.
Barry could not get enough on the next shot though. James Rodriguez escaped his man on a corner kick and drove his header inside the near post despite Barry getting a slight hand to it.
Serge Aurier nearly tied the game just after with a cross nearly skipping inside the near post but it was Colombia that doubled their lead in the 70th minute. Too casual on the ball in the midfield, Serey Die coughed the ball up for a Colombian rush and Juan Fernando Quintero slotted the ball home. It was the first senior-level goal for Quintero who dazzled at last year's under-20 World Cup.
Appearing to be out of the contest, Ivory Coast responded immediately. Gervinho showed some magnificent individual skill by splitting 2 defenders on the left wing before cutting past a third and tucking a shot past David Ospina. 3 goals. 9 minutes.
It was all Ivory Coast for the final 20 minutes but they would get no closer to the Colombian goal. The best chance came from Quintero who fired a ball from midfield and forced a quick backpedal and acrobatic clearance from Barry who was caught off his line.
Goals
Colombia: James Rodriguez (64'), Juan Fernando Quintero (70')
Ivory Coast: Gervinho (73')
Discipline
Colombia: N/A
Ivory Coast: Didier Zokora (Yellow 55' - Misses next game), Cheick Tiote (Yellow 90')
Man of the Match
2 games and 2 Man of the Matches performance for James Rodriguez. Wasn't as effective as last game with the long passes through the midfield but was a catalyst in almost every fast break Colombia had on goal. Great physical play to elude Zokora and head home the first goal and played a role in the attack of the second goal. Well on his way to Young Player of the tournament.
Key Moment
Lacklustre play in the midfield by Serey Die for Ivory Coast lead to a turnover and a Colombian fast break. The ball was played through to Quintero who calmly put the ball away to give Colombia a needed insurance marker as Gervinho scored right after.
What we learned from Colombia
Handled the size of Ivory Coast well and cleared their lines whenever they had a chance. Took advantage of Ivory Coast turnovers to the best of their ability. Need to be more accurate on their long balls forward. They want to get forward as much as possible and use the long ball to do so but you need to be accurate in order to play that strategy and they weren't for much of this game. Again had trouble with finishing in the opposing penalty area. Ibarbo in particular had the ball trapped in his feet a number of times in scoring positions.
What we learned from Ivory Coast
Played better in the middle of the field as they needed to. Too reliant on the crosses for scoring chances though. Could not generate much by weaving their way in to the Colombian area, Gervinho's magnificent goal being the exception. Had room to move in the midfield freely but still pushed their wing backs up higher and it burned them on the second goal. No defensive soundness and if Colombia had better finishing it would have been a bigger scoreline.
Going Forward
Still await the result of Greece-Japan but Colombia should have a Round of 16 spot locked up. Ivory Coast will need to pick up a win in their final game in all likelihood. They should be favoured against a Greek team that has the least potential in the group to exploit the poor Ivorian back line.
Still await the result of Greece-Japan but Colombia should have a Round of 16 spot locked up. Ivory Coast will need to pick up a win in their final game in all likelihood. They should be favoured against a Greek team that has the least potential in the group to exploit the poor Ivorian back line.
