Colombia survived a late second-half rally by Ivory Coast to win Thursday’s 2014 World Cup group stage game 2-1 and move very close to the knockout round of the tournament.
The first half was exciting despite the lack of goals, as both teams registered more than five shots on target and were about even on possession. James Rodriguez opened the scoring in the 64th minute, and six minutes later Juan Quintero doubled Colombia’s lead with a goal of his own.
Gervinho gave Ivory Coast a chance with a fantastic goal in the 73rd minute that included him dangling past three defenders and finding the bottom left corner of the net with an impressive shot in the penalty box.
Ivory Coast created a few more scoring chances, but the Colombian defense held strong to secure its second win in as many games.
Colombia needs a Greece victory over Japan on Thursday or a draw in its final Group C game against Japan to reach the Round of 16. Ivory Coast remains in contention and might not even need a positive result in its final group stage matchup to advance to the next round.
Photo via Twitter/@Alejand71628769
