James Rodriguez was bursting with joy after the game. The Colombian play-maker raised his fist to the sky in celebration of the 3-0 win over Poland fully in the knowledge that he had played a massive part in his team possibly reaching the last 16 of the World Cup. The 26-year-old had just set up two goals for his nation against Bayern teammate Robert Lewandowski’s Poland, and James was later named Man of the Match by FIFA.
“The happiness we feel is incomparable,” the FCB man enthused after the game. “People have come a long way to support us, and we wanted to thank them with a win.” There were around 20,000 travelling Colombia fans inside the Kazan Arena to watch the James Show, which saw the 2014 Golden Boot winner set up Yerry Mina for the opening in the 40th minute. After the break he played a perfectly weighted ball through to Juan Cuadrado to finish off the game on the counter.
The Bayern man looks to be in top form at the right time after suffering a muscle injury at the start of the tournament. He only came off the bench in the opening defeat to Japan, and not quite up to speed he was unable to turn things around in the 2-1 loss. James now wants to lead the South American side into the knockout stage.
Colombia’s fate is in their own hands when they meet Senegal in the final group game on Thursday. A win would see them into the last 16, while a draw means they will be reliant on Lewandowski’s Poland in their simultaneous match against Japan.
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