Colombia’s midfielder Carlos Sanchez, right, heads the ball from Uruguay’s forward Abel Hernandez during the Round of 16 football match between Colombia and Uruguay at The Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro yesterday.
DPA
Rio de Janeiro
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James Rodriguez struck two more World Cup goals as Colombia downed Uruguay 2-0 at the Maracana stadium yesterday to set up a quarter-final meeting with hosts Brazil.
The goals in each half take Rodriguez to five in four games to make the 22-year-old Monaco striker the tournament’s leading scorer while Colombia are in the last eight for the first time.
Rodriguez’s first in the 28th minute was a stunning left-foot volley from outside the box, while he finished from close range five minutes after the break after a well-worked move.
It spelled the end of the tournament for a Uruguay side that had beaten England and Italy but now join their banned striker Luis Suarez back home.
All the talk beforehand was of Suarez whose absence following his lengthy biting ban had overshadowed the game.
Now the limelight falls on Rodriguez as Colombia chalked up a fourth successive win at the tournament, with the striker going ahead of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Thomas Mueller in the scorers’ charts.
His first goal may well be the best of the tournament. Taking the ball on his chest, he turned some 25 metres out to strike the ball in off the underside of the bar - becoming the first player to score in the first four games of a World Cup since Ronaldo and Rivaldo for Brazil in 2002.