In football, hype is key, but any superlatives to describe James Rodriguez ring true.
The Monaco playmaker had it easy in the group stages and would be found out against a Uruguay side fielding a siege mentality and greater determination without yer man. That’s what they said.
Well they were very, very wrong.
Exhibit A:
No player has lit up the World Cup in such a fashion as the young Colombian playmaker since another South American in 1986.
Rodriguez has been sensational and the Maradona comparisons can’t be ignored, given the 22-year-old’s five goals so far and ridiculous turn and volley as Colombia swept Uruguay aside on Saturday night. He got both in a 2-0 win.
It’s Brazil next in the quarter-finals on Friday night and you wouldn’t bet against Rodriguez, Juan Cuadrado et al sending Fred’s moustache home from home, given the fact that the functional hosts don’t seem to have much about them if Neymar isn’t bang on song.
Oscar Tabarez refuses to blame Suarez for Uruguay’s exit
Uruguay’s manager was putting no blame on Luis Suarez for the fact that Uruguay’s World Cup finished in the doldrums against their fellow South Americans.
“When he was no longer with us, that was the end of that,” said Tabarez. “We accepted he was suspended.”
Tabarez said that his side went out even more determined without their best player, kicking his heels back in Montevideo as he began a four-month exile that even precludes him from a nice relaxing Friday evening at the Carlisle Grounds.
“I think that generated a lot of strength and willingness to get a result,” he said. “Suarez is very important to us. I don’t have to say that, but we knew that he was not going to play.” And that, we hope and pray, is that. Bye bye Uruguay.
And it’s bye bye Chile in the worst way possible
Remember Homer’s carbon rod? After bringing The Simpsons’ paterfamilias safely back to Earth from space it received its own parade and even appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
Well, if the Brazilians were to deify any inanimate object and give it its own palatial mansion in the foothills of Rio, it would be the frame of the goal in Belo Horizonte.
With seconds left in extra-time, Chilean sub Mauricio Pinilla unleashed an absolute thunderbastard that rattled Julio Cesar’s crossbar and fell to safety.
Minutes later, the sometime QPR stopper had the post to thank as Nottingham Forest reject Gonzalo Jara saw his penalty thwack the woodwork and bring Brazil through to meet the sexy, sexy football of Colombia in the quarter-finals.
Chile did, at least, leave us with this from Charles Aranguiz…
And tonight’s matches?
The Netherlands take on Mexico at 5pm – Robin van Persie returns from suspension for that one – while those daring and dashing Costa Ricans come up against Greece in Recife.
We expect greatness.
