In Group C, two matches of the second round were played on Thursday. The first match took place between the national teams of Colombia and Ivory Coast. After a tough battle, the Colombians secured a victory with a score of 2-1.
The first half was quite balanced. In the 6th minute, Teofilo Gutierrez created a dangerous opportunity near the Ivory Coast goal, but his shot missed the target.
Neither team controlled the ball near their own goal, and the Africans failed to create clear chances. In the 17th minute, Colombian Carlos Sanchez tested the Ivory Coast goalkeeper's alertness.
Later on, the Ivory Coast players took the initiative into their hands, and in the 25th minute, Cheick Tiote took the first long-range shot.
In the 29th minute, one of the clearest chances of the first half was created near the African goal. James Rodriguez made a great pass to T. Gutierrez from the side, but he failed to hit the target accurately in front of the goalkeeper.
Just a few moments later, the opponent Serge Aurier had a chance to score, but David Ospina reacted to his tricky shot from an angle.
The second half started with dangerous attacks from the Ivory Coast players. In the 52nd minute, Yaya Toure shot the ball wide after a penalty kick.
However, just a few minutes later, a goal did not fall into the African net. Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, who broke through beautifully from the side, shot the ball straight at the goalposts.
Nevertheless, the Colombians did not have to wait long for a precise shot. In the 64th minute, after a precise pass from J.G. Cuadrado's head, James Rodriguez scored.
Another goal was not far behind. In the 70th minute, Juan Quintero increased the advantage when T. Gutierrez, who intercepted the ball from the opponent, made a productive pass in the middle.
The hope of at least a draw in this match was revived just three minutes later by Gervinho, who defeated D. Ospina with his excellent raid.
Throughout the remaining time, the Colombian team had no chances as all action took place on their side of the field. The Ivory Coast players constantly pressed the opponents, but the final result remained 2-1, and Colombia almost secured their place in the next stage.
Result:
Colombia 2 - 1 Ivory Coast
64' [1 - 0] J. Rodriguez
70' [2 - 0] J. Quintero
73' [2 - 1] Gervinho
Starting line-ups:
Colombia: Ospina; Zapata, Yepes, Sanchez, Armero, Aguilar, Gutierrez, Rodriguez, Cuadrado, Ibarbo, Zuniga.
Ivory Coast: Barry, Boka, Zokora, Tiote, Gervinho, Bony, Gradel, Aurier, Yaya Toure, Serey, Bamba.
In other Group C matches, the national teams of Japan and Greece met. In this match, the winner was not determined, and the final result was 0-0.
In the first half, the Japanese dominated, creating many dangerous opportunities. In the 20th and 29th minutes, Keisuke Honda's shots missed the target.
In the 38th minute, the Japanese team received even better news when the Greek captain Kostas Katsouranis received his second yellow card.
However, the Japanese did not take advantage of this advantage in either the first or second half. Over the next 45 minutes, the attacks were only towards the Greek goal, but the Asians failed to finish their chances with goals.
Greece and Japan each earned one point and share the 3-4 place. Meanwhile, Colombia secured a place in the quarterfinals after two rounds, but the Ivory Coast team with 3 points is not safe.
Starting line-ups:
Japan: Kawashima, Uchida, Honda, Nagatomo, Okazaki, Okubo, Konno, Yamaguchi, Hasebe, Osako, Yoshida.
Greece: Karnezis, Maniatis, Manolas, Samaras, Kone, Mitroglou, Torosidis, Fetfazidis, Sokratis, Cholevas, Katsouranis.
Group C Standings:
1. Colombia 2 6 +4
2. Ivory Coast 2 3 0
3. Japan 2 1 -1
4. Greece 2 1 -3
