Friday, October 12, 2012

Colombia 2 - Paraguay 0


Colombia picked hot and steamy Barranquilla as the site for their match against Paraguay.  The first half would have done nothing to turn a casual fan onto football as the match was completely devoid of any remarkable plays.  The half ended as a nondescript 0-0.

Radamel Falcao (pictured, yellow), currently the best striker in the world and playing for Atletico Madrid, decided that the second half needed some flair and some goals, so he provided it all himself.  Macnelly Torres hit a pass into Falcao, who then cut back onto his left foot, leaving Paraguay defender Paulo Da Silva on the ground in his wake.  Falcao then calmly placed a lofted finished into the side net at the far post.  Falcao even decided to play defense for Paraguay to make things interesting later on as he blocked a Teofilo Gutierrez goalbound shot with his chest. Paraguay nearly equalized off a corner kick, but Victor Cacedes flashed his power header wide.  Colombia waited four minutes to fire off a string of chances, but the first from Gutierrez was blocked off a kick save by
Paraguay goalkeeper Diego Barreto.  The second chance came when Juan Cuadrado flashed a wicked cross along the ground into the six-yard box, but Falcao's leg could not reach it on a dive.  With nine minutes left, Falcao chipped over Barreto, but Ivan Piris was back to clear off the goal line for Paraguay.  With only a minute left, Falcao finally put the match to rest as he dropped another heavy cut back onto his left foot with two defenders on him (and Richard Ortiz hanging on to him) to replicate his left-footed lofted finish from the first goal.  Colombia win 2-0 and temporarily move to the top of the CONMEBOL standings.

Goals
Colombia
Radamel Falcao 52, 90

Match Reports:
http://www.sbnation.com/2014-world-cup-qualifying/2012/10/12/3495556/colombia-vs-paraguay-final-score-2-0-falcao-continues-to-dominate
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/soccer/general/view.bg?articleid=1061167388&srvc=sports&position=recent

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHsTsQaTJHU

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlV3cdWY-Qw

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