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James Rodriguez

RIO DE JANEIRO. — James Rodriguez scored a contender for goal of the tournament and put the finishing touch to a sweet, flowing attacking raid as Colombia beat a toothless Uruguay 2-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup soccer finals for the first time on Saturday.
Colombia will now play hosts Brazil in the last eight in Fortaleza on July 4 and on the comparative display of the two sides on Saturday when Brazil squeezed past Chile on penalties in their last-16 match, Colombia should fancy their chances.

While banned Uruguay striker Luis Suarez might have been the talk of the match beforehand, 22-year-old Rodriguez was the name on everyone’s lips at the Maracana at the end after scoring a truly stunning opening goal after 28 minutes and becoming the tournament’s top scorer after 50 minutes with his fifth goal in four games.

While his first was down to individual brilliance, his second rounded off a beautifully-worked team effort. Without Suarez, banned by Fifa for biting, Uruguay had no way back.

“It is obvious that Luis is our main reference, the main player we have and that was felt. But that is not the reason we loss,” Uruguay captain Diego Godin said.