Colombia (National Football)

Colombia finally had to wake up from its sweetest World Cup dream after losing to Brazil 2-1 in the quarter-finals, but it can certainly keep its head up high.

In the end, the host and five-time world champion found the path to stop and beat the most spectacular team in the tournament.

The best—and the worst—of this Brazil had to come out in order to get Colombia eliminated.

The pressure in all zones of the field from Brazil caused Colombia to give away the ball and the much needed midfield transition for Colombia became absent. Also, Brazil continually used the unsportsmanlike fouling resource to cut Colombia’s game, especially in the midfield. The referee never punished the Brazilians accordingly, allowing for more fouls to take place.

James Rodriguez, the engine of Colombia, couldn’t get in the game on a frequent basis during the first half. Rodriguez had to pull back to get the ball, but the Brazilians constantly had at least one player close to him even when he didn’t have the ball.

However, in the second half when Rodriguez found a way to get between the Brazilian lines, he was stopped by fouls.

Rodriguez and Colombia showed they have more than just football; they also have spirit. When they found themselves down by two goals, with a frenetic Castelao chanting in favor of the Selecao, Colombia refused to die.

The Colombian No. 10 had one last trick, with a clinical assist to Carlos Bacca that ended with a penalty kick call. James transformed the penalty into a goal, but the comeback came up short.

Even in defeat, this Colombia showed greatness by never giving up. It is not very often you are going to see Brazil’s coach desperately asking the referee to whistle the end of the game.

Overall, despite who ends up winning this World Cup, Colombia played the best football in the tournament. That will be impregnated in the minds of everyone who can see beyond the final score and appreciates the artful football practiced by Colombia.

This has been Colombia’s most successful World Cup run, one that in a way won the side infinite praise for its impressive offensive style and fan support from all over the planet. And no one can take that away from this side.

No one who watched this World Cup will forget the magic displayed by James Rodriguez, or Cuadrado’s skill, or Yepes putting his heart and soul in every play, or that in a country where Samba dominates, it was the Bachata-Salsa dancing celebrations that reigned.

James Rodriguez’s tears at the end of the game are the tears of a newborn football legend and are also the ones of all of us who will have to see the last week of the World Cup without the magnificent playmaker.

Rodriguez's transcendence in the tournament has been such that his rivals David Luiz and Dani Alves came to comfort him. Eventually, David Luiz did something that is unusual to see. The Brazilian center-back pointed at James asking for the crowd to give the Colombian an ovation.

Brazil 2014 is defined by many images of exquisite Colombian football. This Colombia has to be proud of what it has done and look up to the bright future in front of it.

Current generations of Colombian footballers and fans will no longer have to conform to hearing about the legendary Carlos Valderrama and that generation’s brilliant days back in the late '80s and early '90s. Now, they are living their own golden age, one they can tell from personal experience to future generations.

As football fans, we owe many of our 2014 World Cup memories and football anecdote repertoires to James Rodriguez, Juan Cuadrado, Mario Yepes, Pablo Armero, David Ospina, Faryd Mondragon, Jose Pekerman and everyone else in this Colombia.

Perhaps the most intriguing of the 2014 FIFA World Cup quarter-final matches is the all-South American clash that sees the hosts, Brazil, take on the tournament's most entertaining side so far, Colombia.

The two will do battle on Friday in Fortaleza for a place in the semi-finals, which is arguably a minimum acceptable achievement for Brazil on home soil.

Colombia, meanwhile, have already made waves by reaching the last eight, but their current crop of players have the ability to surpass anything the national side has achieved in history, especially with respect to facing Brazil.

Battle of Star No. 10s

Of course, top billing for the clash will be two of the tournament's three most recognisable faces: Neymar, Brazil's No. 10, and James Rodriguez, who wears the same shirt for Colombia.

Between them, they have scored nine goals at this tournament, with Rodriguez leading the Golden Boot award (five goals) and Neymar having hit half of his side's strikes so far (four goals).

They are the team leaders, the flashiest players with the biggest end product, the fast, the skillful and the young. In short, they are the perfect image of the biggest tournament on Earth, and they are very much delivering this summer.

It would be no surprise if one or the other made the final telling impact in the match.

Weight of History

Colombia's best-ever achievement at the World Cup finals came in 1990, when Carlos Valderrama, et al. managed to get out of the group phase and reach the round of 16. Beyond that, it has been group stages all the way...or not at all, as the case was from after 1998 until the present tournament.

That makes the present side, led by coach Jose Pekerman, captained by grizzled veteran centre-back Mario Yepes and fronted by Rodriguez, history-makers in their own country. Never before had they won more than a single game at the finals, let alone four from four to make the quarter-finals, while they have so far also conceded fewer goals than at any previous finals appearance.

Looking further across the landscape of Colombian football, they have particularly struggled when coming up against Brazil.

Just twice in 25 meetings have they beaten their continental rivals; a friendly in 1985, 1-0, and a Copa America tie in 1991, 2-0. In more recent times, the last four meetings have all been drawn, all World Cup qualifiers.

2014

Why can Colombia win?

Anybody who has watched the World Cup unfold until now will note that Brazil have been way below the level expected of them, with only the attacking force of Neymar and the defensive resolution of Thiago Silva the absolute positives so far.

There have been flashes of impressive displays around them—Oscar in the opening match, Julio Cesar in the shootout, and so on—but as a functioning team who have been playing the same system for two years and won the Confederations Cup last summer, it has been largely poor.

Chile came very close to knocking them out, and Colombia finished one place and two points higher than Chile in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying campaign.

A similarly hard-working side, fast in the transition and with equally as impressive attackers at their disposal, Brazil are likely to be in for a real fight to keep their own impressive record up in games against Colombia.

Pekerman and Co. will surely be thinking they sense the opportunity to end that horrendous run on Friday and make even more history than they already have.

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Colombia have been highly impressive on their road to the World Cup quarter-finals. They have enthralled with the vibrancy of their attacking play while maintaining a solid defensive base that has seen them concede just two goals.

James Rodriguez has undoubtedly been their star turn, but defensive midfielder Carlos Sanchez has quietly had an excellent tournament and could stake a claim to being Colombia's unsung hero thus far.

There was a moment in his side's last-16 victory over Uruguay on Saturday that typified what Sanchez brings to the team.

Just a few minutes after Rodriguez's superb opener, Cristian Rodriguez stole a march on Pablo Armero at the far post and was poised to finish as a cross was floated over from the left. Sanchez arrived on the scene at the last moment and headed the ball behind for a corner.

It was neither spectacular nor eye-catching, but that is Sanchez's purview—to cut out danger with minimum fuss.

Sanchez was raised in poverty in Quidbo, a chaotic jungle town near the frontier with Panama in the Choco district of north-west Colombia. His father was a cabinet maker, and though he worked hard there wasn't always enough money to put a meal on the table at the end of the day.

Sanchez spent hours upon hours playing football in the streets, honing the skills that would provide him with an escape route from his life of hardship.

After graduating from the Alexis Garcia football academy in Medellin, Sanchez was signed by Uruguayan club Danubio at the age of 17. After two years there, he moved on to River Plate de Montevideo, and then onward to Europe with Valenciennes. He spent last season in La Liga with Elche.

His international debut came against Panama in 2007, and he has been a regular in the national-team setup ever since. He drew plaudits for his excellent man-marking job on Lionel Messi during the 2011 Copa America.

Sanchez was part of the starting lineup for Jose Pekerman's first match in charge of Colombia—against Mexico in February of 2012—and has established himself as a key component of the Argentinian's first-choice XI.

"I’ve learned a lot from him," Sanchez told FIFA.com last year. "All his advice has really helped me, but his suggestion that I let my natural game flow and not do things systematically has changed me and helped me grow."

Sanchez is a pure defensive midfielder, content to sit in front of the back four and cut out opposition threats at source. He reads the game well, is strong in the tackle and is also good in the air. When he wins possession, he distributes simply but effectively over short distances.

He and midfield partner Abel Aguilar provide Colombia with a solid central base.

"The Rock," as Sanchez has been known since his youth, was particularly impressive in Colombia's 2-1 group-stage triumph over Ivory Coast, coming out on top in an engaging physical battle with Yaya Toure. Without a direct opponent, it was his adept positioning and awareness of danger that shone through in the last-16 victory over Uruguay.

Sanchez will again have an important role to play against hosts Brazil in Fortaleza on Friday.

Colombia are better equipped than Chile to deal with the pace that allowed Neymar to burn past Francisco Silva on a few occasions in the first half of Brazil's second-round victory. Right-back Juan Zuniga and right-sided centre-back Cristian Zapata are both relatively quick and should be able to keep up with the Brazilian No. 10.

Pekerman could, however, still be tempted to move Sanchez to the right of his midfield two in a bid to halt Neymar's progress when he picks the ball up and cuts in toward goal from deep.

Sanchez, then a relative unknown, was handed his first competitive international start in a 0-0 World Cup qualifying draw with Brazil in October 2007.

He is still a player who frequently flies under the radar, but a strong performance against the same opponents on Friday will surely result in greater recognition of his contribution to Colombia's success.

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After leading Colombia to a 2-0 win over Uruguay in the round of 16, James Rodriguez must be considered one of the front-runners to be named player of the tournament at the Brazil 2014 World Cup.

Colombia's vibrant brand of football has made them one of the most entertaining teams to watch in Brazil, and Rodriguez himself is usually at the centre of their attacking play.

The 22-year-old scored his fourth and fifth goals of the competition at the Maracana to also put himself in the lead for the Golden Boot award.

Rodriguez's second goal was a case of being in the right place at the right time to finish off a fluid team move, but his first was jaw-dropping in its brilliance. 

Controlling a forward header from Juan Cuadrado with his chest, James turned and thumped the ball into the back of the net from just outside the D in a move that was both graceful and brutal.

The AS Monaco man brings so much more to the team than goals, however.

He is also Colombia's most creative player. While Cuadrado offers dynamism and forward thrust, Rodriquez acts as a hub for much of the side's attacking play.

Moving from the left to the centre, and occasionally over to the right flank, the elegant No. 10 patrols the area just in front of the opponent's defensive line, searching for small pockets of space to work in.

When he receives the ball, he is skilful enough to move past defenders or feed the ball through to another member of Colombia's fluid forward line; he is essentially a classic South American-style playmaker.

In the group stage, Rodriguez scored in all three games, most notably coming off the bench in his team's third game against Japan to set up two goals for Jackson Martinez then finish a brilliant solo effort of his own.

Some of the world's best players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez have already departed Brazil.

Lionel Messi has three man of the match awards thus far and is yet to play in the second phase, while Neymar has four goals but was absent for large parts of Brazil's shootout win over Chile.

James has arguably been as good, if not better, than those two icons of the game so far in Brazil.

Whether he takes out the player of the tournament award or not when all is said and done, he has given his own status such a massive boost that he deserves to be mentioned alongside such big names as one of the genuine stars of the 2014 World Cup. 

Colombia coach Jose Pekerman has unfinished business with the knockout stages of the World Cup.

Back in 2006, as head coach of his native Argentina, Pekerman oversaw a sparkling Albiceleste side that impressed all who witnessed them in the group stages, as they established themselves as early favourites for glory that year.

No more was that in evidence than against Serbia and Montenegro, as Esteban Cambiasso rounded off a thrilling 26-pass move in what would prove to be a 6-0 demolition.

Pekerman, it seemed, had a World Cup-winning side on his hands.

It would not work out that way. After edging past Mexico in the last 16 thanks to Maxi Rodriguez’s wonder goal, Argentina faced hosts Germany in the quarter-finals.

Pekerman’s side went 1-0 up, but after some defensive substitutions (including a controversial Cambiasso-for-Juan Roman Riquelme switch that remains talked about to this day), they conceded a late Miroslav Klose goal and eventually lost on penalties.

Pekerman, devastated, immediately tendered his resignation.

"We said we'd play seven games and did not, so I failed,” he said that day. “We were close but not close enough. This spell is over."

Argentina, scarred by the disappointment, still rue the failure to this day. Diego Maradona’s near one-man band could go all the way, back in 1986, yet an impressive all-round side could not?

Eight years on, no wonder it is practically demanded of Lionel Messi that he elevate his side above the competition. As Argentina have experienced it, that is the only way to actually win it.

Pekerman, meanwhile, faces the prospect of redemption—or history repeating, if he is truly unfortunate. Eight years on, he again finds himself in charge of a side who have impressed in the group stages, and one that is again on course to face the tournament’s hosts in the quarter-finals.

It is even once again his “home” nation, after he was granted naturalised citizenship the day after their World Cup qualification. Colombia, however, also have their demons to exercise.

Twenty years ago, at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Los Cafeteros (“The Coffeers”) entered the tournament much as Belgium did this time around, with increasingly frenzied talk about their “dark horse” potential. Having reached the last 16 in 1990, Pele—a man who can always be relied upon to predict something when asked—duly tipped them to go as far as the semi-finals.

Their team seemed to have some big tournament experience and many desirable qualities; strength in defence, pace and power up front, and technique and organisation in midfield. Many anticipated that they could more than live up to Pele’s assertion.

Instead, the tournament was an unmitigated disaster. An opening defeat to Romania left them up against it, before defender Andres Escobar’s unfortunate own goal against the United States in a narrow 2-1 defeat put them on the brink of elimination. Even a final victory over Switzerland could not save them, as other results failed to go their way.

On July 2, 1994, back in Medellin, Escobar was shot and killed outside a bar. It was immediately reported as a recrimination for his part in the World Cup disappointment, although few now agree with that assessment.

Escobar was in the wrong place at the wrong time, just as he had been on the pitch when John Harkes delivered his cross.

Nevertheless, Escobar’s fate seemed to mark the start of a sudden decline in Colombian football. The team qualified for the next World Cup but again went out at the group stages, before failing to qualify for the next three tournaments.

Suddenly, words Escobar had written in Colombian newspaper El Tiempe (per The Guardian) after the elimination took on an added significance: "Life doesn't end here. We have to go on. Life cannot end here. No matter how difficult, we must stand back up."

Now, under Pekerman, they are back with a vengeance.

Few teams have looked as impressive as Colombia so far in this competition, although many might justifiably point to the relative weakness of the teams they have faced as one of the reasons behind that.

Colombia scored nine goals, and conceded just two, as they won all three games to top a group that also included Ivory Coast, Japan and Greece.

In the process, they looked devastating on the attack, with James (pronounced "Ha-mez") Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado pulling defences apart as Teofilo Gutierrez and Jackson Martinez also got on the scoresheet.

Suddenly, the absence of Radamel Falcao—unable to recover from a cruciate ligament injury in time for the tournament—did not seem to be the devastating blow many anticipated it to be.

There has even been time for some sentimentality, with Pekerman bringing on back-up goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon, 43, toward the end of the comprehensive win over Japan—making him the oldest player ever to appear at a World Cup.

Mondragon was also a member of the ill-fated 1994 and 1998 squads.

"Jose Pekerman convinced me to continue playing. I will never forget that,” Mondragon told reporters after the game. "I feel privileged to be here, it was my best birthday ever." 

It is further upfield, however, where Colombia’s strength lies. Their defence is perhaps a touch prosaic, with veteran centre-back Mario Yepes (only the third player in his country’s history to reach 100 caps) getting by more on experience than anything these days, while both Pablo Armero and Cristian Zapata have European experience but perhaps lack that additional quality that makes a truly elite defender.

That is part of the reason why Pekerman likes to employ two anchoring midfielders, even if that means leaving out the talented Fredy Guarin (whose box-to-box tendencies would potentially leave his side exposed). But another reason is to give his attacking players a platform to fully express themselves.

That they have done so far, with various individuals impressing in their own distinctive ways. The likes of Martinez, Gutierrez, Victor Ibarbo and Adrian Ramos have all had their moments, illustrating Pekerman’s relative abundance of options either to start or bring off the bench.

But there are two players who have stood out above the rest: Cuadrado and Rodriguez.

Cuadrado, a Fiorentina winger who stretches the pitch with his pace, stamina and close control, has dragged opposition defences out of shape to devastating effect from his position out on the left. He has scored once, from the penalty spot, while adding three further assists.

Then there is Rodriguez, a classic No. 10 whose close control and eye for a pass allows him to bring others into play around him, or find the gaps in behind the defences struggling to keep tabs on the movement in front of him.

But it is his end product that has most impressed; the AS Monaco starlet has scored three goals and contributed two assists in the two-and-a-half games in which he has appeared.

Witness his sumptuous finish against Japan, following a mazy run. This is a player enjoying and embracing his emergence on the world stage.

“For a long time in Colombia they have been looking for the next Carlos Valderrama,” Carlos Valderrama, the wavy-haired midfielder who was perhaps the last iconic Colombian footballer, said at an event recently. “They’ve now finally found who that player is.

“James Rodriguez will be the country’s next big star, not just for now, but for the next 10 years.”

Few will doubt that assertion having watched the 22-year-old go to work in Brazil. The question, however, is how much further he can drive them over the next few weeks.

Colombia have never been beyond the competition’s last 16; to improve upon that, they will have to beat Uruguay on Saturday. Uruguay also are without their most well-known striker, albeit for entirely different (and far less savoury) reasons.

They are also a far more prosaic side than their South American rivals. Without Luis Suarez to call upon, beyond the industrious Edinson Cavani, they have an obvious lack of attacking invention.

That Uruguay have reached this stage is predominantly due to the solid work of their defence, which broke down in the opener against Costa Rica but rebounded with two solid performances against England and Italy.

On the first occasion, Suarez’s individual brilliance won them the game. In the second, it was a set piece that did the damage.

The match is therefore a classic contrast in styles, with the onus likely to be on the likes of Cuadrado and Rodriguez to make the difference if Colombia are to overcome the test of 2010’s semi-finalists.

If Colombia can get past the Celeste, then it is hosts Brazil who likely await. It is a fearsome prospect for any side, albeit one Colombia seem as well-equipped as any (bar Messi and Argentina, perhaps) to take on.

On current evidence, this is not a vintage Selecao side (Chile, Brazil’s last-16 opponents, should not be written off by any means). Brazil have looked workmanlike so far in this competition, with their attack seeming painfully predictable whenever Neymar is not involved, while their defence is perhaps not the rock-solid foundation that many thought it might be.

If Yepes and Co. can summon their best form to deal with Neymar then perhaps, just perhaps, Cuadrado and Rodriguez can help spark what would be one of the most memorable shocks in World Cup history.

It will be interesting to see what happens if Colombia go a goal ahead. For Pekerman, still scarred by memories of 2006, it's either redemption or repetition.

"This is the result of work and patience of all the players and a whole country's support,” Pekerman said on Thursday. "This is a reward for all Colombians.

"Uruguay is a team renowned in world history and really can play. But we are confident and we want to move forward."