Colombia undaunted by date with Brazil
Brazil locked into a mini-Copa America
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilians were still calming their beating hearts when Colombians poured out of the Maracana to start shouting about Friday’s quarter-final in Fortaleza. No sooner had Chile been subdued than another South American enemy wanted a piece of the hosts.
Latin America day at this World Cup started with Brazil surviving a shootout in Belo Horizonte and ended with another giant bead of sweat rolling down their brow. Colombia, who might have been England’s second-round dance partner, appear even more dangerous than Chile. They are younger, faster, more skilful and not a bit daunted by the thought of facing the masters of this continent.
“We will always respect Brazil because it is a great team with great players and we know everyone in the World Cup has difficult moments — but they have been overcome,” said Jose Pekerman, the Argentine coach whose calm, professorial stance offsets the excitement coursing through his team. “We can’t speak of favourites.”
Brazil have become locked into a mini-Copa America. The task of dealing with Argentina and Europe’s heavyweights has been postponed while tough South American opponents snap at their ankles. Neymar, Brazil’s lucky charm, has a heavy bang to his thigh.
At the other end, James Rodriguez, the 22-year-old Colombian No. 10, who plays at Monaco and is described as “essential and fundamental” by his coach, planted his flag in the sacred Maracana turf and is not finished yet.
For Colombia to reach a quarterfinal for the first time and parade the sublime talent of Rodriguez is a throwback to the days when relatively unheralded nations could draw the whole world into new stories, new dimensions. Rodriguez was a 37-million pound ($67.2-million) buy for Monaco from Porto and is hardly a dark horse. But the fourth of his five goals here was a thing of wonder requiring perfect chest control, an intricate swivel and sweetspot volley that supplied the goal of the tournament in a World Cup of stunning strikes.
According to admittedly dubious surveys, Colombia can claim the world’s happiest citizens, despite international preconceptions about FARC guerrillas and drug cartels. The visual evidence in Brazil supports those findings. They move around the country in a swarm of contentment. Rio at the weekend was a cheerfulness contest between the locals celebrating the Selecao’s penalty shootout win and fans of Los Cafeteros — The Coffee Men — who went looking for the heart of Saturday night, fired by memories of Rodriguez’s brilliance.
“In my long experience, I’ve had extraordinary players, elite ones of a high technical level. I placed everything on James,” Pekerman said. “… I never had any doubts that this would be James’s World Cup.”
James now contemplates the giant peach of a move to Real Madrid or Barcelona, though Monaco would not allow him to leave cheaply.
The exultation around The Coffee Men is a striking counterpoint to this week’s 20th anniversary of Andres Escobar’s murder outside a Medelin nightclub. Escobar, the captain of Colombia’s golden generation, was shot six times in apparent revenge for his own goal against the United States at the 1994 World Cup.
Before his death, which was the subject of a compelling ESPN documentary, Escobar wrote in Bogota’s El Tiempo newspaper: “Life doesn’t end here. We have to go on. Life cannot end here. No matter how difficult, we must stand back up. We only have two options: either allow anger to paralyze us and the violence continues, or we overcome and try our best to help others. It’s our choice. Let us please maintain respect. My warmest regards to everyone. It’s been a most amazing and rare experience. We’ll see each other again soon because life does not end here.”
Those echoes from the Carlos Valderrama, Freddy Rincon era are bound to be heard again in the buildup to the Brazil game. This Colombia side, though, represent a new tale of talent and enterprise. Even without the injured Radamel Falcao, their household name, they have prospered after an impressive qualifying campaign.
Their two strikers, Jackson Martinez, of Porto, and Teofilo Gutierrez, from River Plate, were supported against Uruguay by the natural playmaker’s art and finishing ability of Rodriguez.
They will allow Brazil not a moment’s peace.
Eleven goals in four games from Colombia and a succession of bravura performances from ‘J-Rod’ Rodriguez may yet mean that Brazil’s carnival of relief on Saturday was a mere postponement of some very South American agony.