FIFA World Cup 2014: Colombia vs. Uruguay – Player Ratings

James Rodriguez's brace takes Colombia to Quarter-Finals

The second match in the round of 16 involved the dancing Colombians and the distraught Uruguayans, who lost their star striker Luis Suarez after he was banned for nine international matches, as a result of biting Italy’s Chiellini in their last group encounter. La Celeste started with the 4 – 4 – 2 formation, while Los Cafeteros went ahead with the 4 – 2 – 3 – 1 formation. A place in the quarterfinals was at stake, and the loser would follow the eliminated teams, heading back home.

Uruguay depended on Godin, who scored the winner against Italy, and the FIFA Player of the tournament for 2010 World Cup, Diego Forlan also found a place in the starting eleven. The onus was on Cavani to come good to confirm Uruguay’s participation in the next round, while Colombia put their trust in Gutierrez and their talisman, James Rodriguez to take them through to the quarterfinals, ensuring this year’s tournament would mark their greatest achievement in the world cup finals.

At the end of the day however, Colombia dispatched the Uruguayans with ease, scoring two goals in the process. In this article, we take a look at the individual performances of the players, and rate their efforts.

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Uruguay

Fernando Muslera – 5.5/10

Had a bad day in the office, and didn’t have any chance to stop Rodriguez’s screamer in the first half. Was let down by his defense when Rodriguez managed to score his second goal of the evening in the second half of the match.

Martin Caceres – 6.5/10

Probably one of the better players for Uruguay on the day, putting in good challenges and surging the team forward with the counter attacks, and also managed to keep Gutierrez quiet.

Jose Maria Gimenez – 5.5/10

The youngster had an off day on the field, and couldn’t put up a good show when it mattered the most. He picked up a yellow card in the process, and was overwhelmed by Colombia’s movements.

Diego Godin – 6/10

Managed to do a good job defensively, but lost his composure on several occasions, and escaped a booking towards the end when he punched Yepes.

Alvaro Pereira – 4.5/10

Alvaro was one of the least impressive Uruguayan players, as he was constantly struggling against Cuadrado, and couldn’t help offensively.

Maxi Pereira – 6/10

Had the best chance for La Celeste to score in the match, but was unable to put the ball in the back of the net. Was caught out during the second Colombian goal.

Alvaro Gonzalez - 5/10

Managed to get in some decent tackles in the first half, and tried to get Uruguay back in the game in the second half, but his attempts were easily thwarted away by Ospina.

Arevalo Rios – 6/10

Was the work horse of the Uruguayan team, and managed to get in some physical tackles without a booking.

Cristian Rodriguez – 5.5/10

Made no difference in the first half, but created a chance in the second half which was denied by some excellent work from Ospina.

Edinson Cavani – 5/10

Tried to go for a few long range shots that were misdirected. Was never close to scoring a goal, and became increasingly ineffective as the match progressed.

Diego Forlan – 4/10 – Flop of the match

As the Uruguayan fans feared, Forlan was not the same menace he was four years ago. Was easily the most ineffective player on the pitch, and was subbed early in the second half.

Substitutes:

Christian Stuani – 4.5/10

Was the only Uruguayan who looked like scoring, and managed to put in some half crosses to test Ospina.

Gaston Ramirez – 5.5/10

Managed to produce some quality set pieces, but that was the most he could offer.

Abel Hernandez – 5.5/10

Didn’t have much say in the remainder of the game after he was brought on.

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Colombia

David Ospina – 7.5/10

Didn’t have a lot to do in the first half except for making a save, but the play was offside anyway. Saved an absolute scorcher in the second half, denying Cristian Rodriguez and La Celeste an opportunity to claw their way back into the match. Also made a valiant effort to save a close range shot in the 79th minute of the match, and was an absolute rock in front of the Colombian goal.

Juan Zuniga – 6.5/10

Was able to link up well with his teammates while going up the field, and managed to get in some shots on goal, although they were off target.

Cristian Zapata – 7/10

Was consistent with his passes and won aerial battles to keep a lid on the Uruguayans.

Mario Yepes – 8/10

Made a formidable partnership with Zapata to keep a lid on the Uruguayan offense. Won most of his aerial battles, and forced the opposition to take long range shots.

Pablo Armero – 7.5/10

Managed to get in a dangerous cross to the far post, resulting in an easy tap in for James Rodriguez, leading to Colombia’s second goal.

Juan Cuadrado – 8/10

His speed and dribbling ability caused all sorts of problems for the opposition, as he managed to force Alvaro Pereira on the back foot. His header in the second half led to the Rodriguez tap in.

Abel Aguilar – 7.5/10

Managed to do his defensive job effectively, and aided Rodriguez in scoring his first goal in the first half of the match.

Carlos Sanchez – 6.5/10

Produced some well timed tackles and kept the ball moving.

James Rodriguez – 9.5/10 – Man of the match

Fernando Muslera makes a desperate effort to stop Rodriguez’s scorcher

Colombia’s talisman and their most prolific scorer of the tournament produced a moment of magic in the first half, calmly dropping the ball and finishing with a stupendous half volley, and followed it up by scoring another goal in the second half. Rodriguez is now the leading scorer in the tournament, and couldn’t put a foot wrong this evening. If you’ve missed the action or want to watch it live on your tablets and PCs, you can do so at livsports.in.

Teoflilo Gutierrez – 5.5/10

Didn’t have a great outing as some of his other teammates, and was subbed in the second half.

Jackson Martinez – 5/10

Wasn’t effective in the first half, but his pass to Armero set the second goal in motion in the second half of the match.

Substitutes:

Alexander Mejia – 6/10

Was introduced in the second half to keep a tight lid on the opposition, and he did the job effectively.

Fredy Guarin – 5/10

Didn’t have a major role to play, except to keep the possession.

Adrian Ramos – 5/10

Was introduced in the final minutes of the match, and didn’t have any impact on the outcome.