5 inches. That’s how far they were from crashing out of the World Cup in the round of 16. Had Mauricio Pinnilla’s shot at Estadio Minerao deflected in, the tournament would be having a different story altogether. Brazil, it’s safe to say, haven’t exactly had a great outing.
Conversely, in the quite riveting round of 16, where six out of the eight ties went into extra-time, Colombia were the only team to win their match convincingly. Nevermind that they were up against Uruguay, who’re formidable at the very least.
We’re left with one-eighth of what has been the most magnificent international tournament in memory. When the tournament began, most would’ve hoped for a “stronger” team to play Brazil in the quarters, but truth to be told, not many have been as strong as Colombia this time. Scolari would take heart from the fact that his team have already faced a mighty stern opponent in Chile and managed to sneak past them. It wasn’t exactly a top display, but victory is what matters at the end of the day. They’re more than warmed up for the big games now.
James Rodriguez and co. have pretty much breezed through the World Cup so far. A group of Ivory Coast, Greece and Japan isn’t an easy one to progress through, let alone top. Colombia did that and more. Uruguay were taken care of with aplomb and it’ll be unfair to say Luis Suarez’s presence would’ve made a telling difference. They were that good.