First scene: Soccer geniuses are like that, they appear as if from nowhere, rub their magic guayo and grant wishes. This Monday appeared again, as it had done so many times before, the genius of James Rodriguez when the match against Paraguay, in the debut of the Colombian National Team in the Copa América, was immersed in a physical desert, of scrapes and collisions, of man-to-man duels, of surrounding Luis Díaz between two and three, of squeezing Johan Mojica, hitting the hard post Álex Arce with balls.
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Minute 32. Jhon Arias signs coach Néstor Lorenzo the patent of his creation of putting him as an inside midfielder on the left and there he steals a ball in the Paraguayan exit. James received the pass and rubbed his left-handed velvet ball: the ball was a feather cushion for Muñoz’s head, who hammered the 1-0 into the ground at the far post. The play, without being traced, repeats the mechanics of the winning goal against Spain last March: opening the field on the left, to finish the play on the other side. That time, Luis Díaz won handsomely and dribbled and unloaded to the second sector, where Muñoz defined falling like a bullet train.
Ten minutes later, in the 42nd minute, James once again rubbed his magic guayo and curled in with his left foot the charge that Lerma, with his back turned, made it 2-0.
Second scene: Colombia vs. Paraguay
Luis Diaz, Kevin Castano, Johan Mojica and Davinson Sanchez celebrating Colombia’s victory against Paraguay this Monday, June 24.
Photo:EFE
There is a saying that says that he who trusts too much is always deceived because he makes mistakes every day. With the advantage in their pocket, at the beginning of the second half, Colombia wanted to manage the difference very deep in their field, also in part due to the logical Paraguayan reaction that pushed hard for the discount and maintain their hope. As it was, the National Team resisted at the edge of the area, even with a very good save by goalkeeper Camilo Vargas.
Things weren’t that bad, but they weren’t good. So much so that Lorenzo exchanged card for card the reprimanded Lerma for Uribe and the inconsequential Borré, who did not participate in the area actions or in the game circuit, for the ‘Triciclito’ Córdoba.
But that’s football, that’s life, as soon as they stepped on the field, Paraguay made an advance on the left and finished the play on the other side, where Julio Enciso made it 2-1 after a ball passed over Dávinson Sánchez. Does anyone know where Mojica was that never closed? Suddenly he was looking for Borré, I say.
It was an uncertain 23 minutes for Colombia, without the ball, crowded behind, fighting in the Paraguayan melee. Confusion.
Third scene: Colombia, electric
James Rodríguez, the figure of Colombia vs. Paraguay
Photo:taken from TV and Cristian Álvarez
The rush of 2-1 on the scoreboard made Colombia get electric again and, after having suffered, they got back on track, grabbed the ball, opened the game, and with the ball on the attack put the game in the rival’s field again .
Colombia attacks better than it defends. And again James was the protagonist with his golden left foot. First, by making the wrong decision not to kick at the goal when he was free, by giving a pass to the heart of the area. And then, with another luxury pass, this time to Mina (like in the World Cup in Russia against Poland, remember?), who failed to head in a play that the referee believed was a penalty and then corrected it to the correct one. assistance of the video judge.
Colombia was better attacking than defending, guided by the silk left foot of James Rodríguez…
Meluk tells him
GABRIEL MELUK
SPORTS Editor
@MelukLeCuenta
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