FIFA U-20 World Cup 2011: Colombia brush aside France 4-1

Fourteen youngsters in yellow jerseys, and an insightful 51-year-old, inspired one of the most unforgettable nights in Colombian football history in Bogota tonight. As hosts of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, they desperately coveted a winning start to their Group A campaign against European champions France. Los Cafeteros didn't just get that victory, they got a resounding one, with a double from Luis Muriel, a James Rodriguez penalty and a Santiago Arias strike earning them a come-from-behind 4-1 defeat of one of the pre-tournament favourites.

The result sent Colombia top of Group A, on goal difference from Korea Republic, who overcame Mali 2-0 earlier today.

There was an inimitable atmosphere at the Estadio Nemesio Camacho leading up to kick-off, and Colombia enhanced it by making an exhilarating start to the game. With just two minutes on the clock, they were inches from going in front, Michael Ortega's vicious long-ranger smashing against the crossbar.

Goalkeeper Cristian Bonilla made an admirable save from France forward Antoine Griezmann on eight minutes, before the South Americans responded through strikes by Didier Moreno and Jose Valencia.

Against the run of play, though, France opened the scoring. Gilles Sunu masterfully eluded his marker before unleashing a thumping shot which Bonilla got fingertips to but couldn't keep out. It provoked silence.

Colombia restored parity on the half-hour mark. Rodriguez's brilliant pass sent Arias into the box, and the No4 was upended by Kalidou Koulibaly. Rodriguez, the Porto entertainer, sent Ligali the wrong way from the spot.

On the stroke of half-time, Ortega found himself in a one-on-one situation with Ligali, but the France keeper made a fine save with his legs.

Three minutes. That is all Colombia need to assume the lead following the restart. An Ortega back-heel freed Muriel, who slipped past his man and slotted the ball home to deafening cheers.

Bonilla then frustrated Griezmann again with two marvelous saves, though the former must have resigned himself to conceding a second goal when France substitute Alexandre Lacazette skipped round him and faced an empty net. Inconceivably, however, the No19 missed the target.

Colombia immediately punished that miss, with Arias arriving at the back post to make it 3-1. It was soon four, Muriel latching on to an Ortega through-ball to thump the ball past Ligali.

It could, and should, have been 5-1 on 73 minutes. Muriel outfoxed Sebastien Faure with some mesmerizing trickery, and was duly fouled inside the penalty area. However, Rodriguez's resulting spot-kick was saved.

Did it spoil the euphoric mood? Not one iota. This was a night those present will be reminiscing about for a long time to come.

Colombia 4:1 France (1:1)

James RODRIGUEZ (30' PEN)

Luis MURIEL (48' 66')

Santiago ARIAS (64')

Gilles SUNU (21')

Match 8 - Group ABogota

Estadio Nemesio Camacho 'El Campin'


Hosts rock the party as Africans lament

The conditions could barely have been more different in Cali and Bogota, with the heat of the former contrasting sharply with the heavy rainfall that delayed the kick-offs in the latter city. All of which contributed to an intriguing Matchday 2 at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011, which featured an emphatic victory for the hosts over France, a game of two halves between Uruguay and Portugal, Cameroon scoring at both ends against New Zealand, and three points for Korea Republic.

Roared on by a packed stadium in Bogota, Colombia found themselves a goal down after just 21 minutes against France, only to subsequently overwhelm Les Bleuets 4-1 after a blistering second half. Korea Republic's success was also indebted to post-interval goals against Mali.

In another disappointment for the African contingent, Cameroon were held 1-1 by New Zealand in Group B, with the latter equalising via a Serge Tchaha own-goal. For the Kiwis, the result brought them their first point at a FIFA U-20 World Cup, having lost all three matches on their previous outing in 2007. The pool remains wide open, however, after the goalless stalemate between Portugal and Uruguay.

Results

Group A

Mali 0-2 Korea Republic

Colombia 4-1 France

Group B

Cameroon 1-1 New Zealand

Portugal 0-0 Uruguay

Goal of the day

Colombia-France, Luis Muriel 48’

In a goal that was both magnificent and vital in equal measure, Michael Ortega’s subtle back-heel freed Luis Muriel, whose sleight of foot left France defender Kalidou Koulibaly flailing before he slotted past keeper Jonathan Ligali to put Los Cafeteros in front for the first time.

Memorable moments

A taste of Africa in Cali: They may have been playing thousands of kilometres away from African soil, but Cameroon will have felt right at home thanks to the heat of Cali, the support of most of the spectators in the Estadio Pascual Guerrero and a vibrant atmosphere complete with vuvuzelas. Throw in the strains of South Africa 2010’s official anthem, Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira, that could be heard outside the ground and the picture was complete. Not that it appeared to affect opponents New Zealand, who held out for a draw.

Size isn’t everything: Measuring in at an imposing 1.97m, Mali forward Kalifa Coulibaly cut an imposing figure in his side’s clash with Korea Republic. Yet despite using his size and skill with his back to goal to create a host of clear opportunities for his team-mates, particularly in the first half, a collective failure to convert paved the way for the South Koreans' 2-0 success.

Colombia behind their boys: Before taking the field at Bogota’s Estadio Nemesio Camacho, Los Cafeteros got together for a group hug in the dressing room. Determined to fire his team-mates up, skipper Pedro Franco yelled out, “We’re great! We’re really great!”, which was promptly backed up by the squad's fitness coach, who chanted, “There’s 11 of us, but we’ve got 46 million behind us!” Further evidence of the support the Colombians enjoyed came during a moving rendition of the national anthem by the yellow-bedecked crowd, undoubtedly one of the most emotional moments of the competition so far.

The stat

4 – The number of penalties awarded over the course of the day, though only Korea Republic’s Jang Hyun Soo and Colombia’s James Rodriguez could convert from the spot. The latter did blot his copybook slightly when his second penalty of the game was saved by France keeper Jonathan Ligali, while Cameroon’s Christ Mbondi was also denied by Kiwi custodian Stefan Marinovic, though he made amends by slotting home the rebound.

Up next

The only two groups yet to get underway, C and D, join the fray on Sunday. In the former, Spain will attempt to justify their trophy contenders’ tag against Costa Rica, while section rivals Australia and Ecuador also square off. In Group D, Croatia face Saudi Arabia, while Nigeria will expect to take all three points against Guatemala.

Colombia-France quotes

Francis Smerecki, France coach

"We endured the kind of match we’d feared. We were very rarely able to cause the Colombians problems and even after we’d opened the scoring we still felt under constant pressure. I think that the Colombians had more chances than us in the first half. We could have made it 2-2 through that chance for Alexandre Lacazette in the second half, but after that the game slipped away from us. But we never had the initiative, they dictated the tempo. Even when we had the ball we lacked enthusiasm, speed of execution and good distribution. It’s a very average start, but I’m hoping it’ll teach us a lesson ahead of our upcoming games. In our next two matches we’ll need to play like we know we can. This evening, at times, we tried to get a grip on the game but we wasted far too many balls in midfield."

Eduardo Lara, Colombia coach

"The fans’ support was extraordinary. Even when we conceded that goal after around 20 minutes, the crowd really got behind us and that gave us a huge boost in confidence. France are a good team but we were able to make a few adjustments and the lads played a great second half. I took James Rodriguez and Michael Ortega aside for a word, because it was their job to dictate the play. France are very strong in the centre of the park, so you can’t afford to give them space. But [Luis] Muriel, Ortega and Rodriguez are all very skilful and caused them loads of problems. We have to make the most of this World Cup, given that it’s ours, it’s on our patch. It’s like going to a party, you have dance, have fun and make the most of it. I told my lads that they need feel the support of the Colombian people behind them, that’ll give us strength."

Group matches Report

Colombia - France4:1 (1:1)

Match Date Time Venue / Stadium Attendance

8 30 July 2011 21:00 Bogota / Estadio Nemesio Camacho 'El Campin' 32257

Match Officials

Referee

Peter O LEARY (NZL) Assistant Referee 1

Ravinesh KUMAR (FIJ)

Fourth Official

Mark GEIGER (USA) Assistant Referee 2

Jackson NAMO (SOL)

Match Commissioner

Lee HARMON (COK)

Goals scored

Gilles SUNU (FRA) 21', James RODRIGUEZ (COL) 30' Penalty goal, Luis MURIEL (COL) 48', Santiago ARIAS (COL) 64', Luis MURIEL (COL) 66'

Colombia Line-up

[1] Cristian BONILLA (GK)

[3] Pedro FRANCO (C)

[4] Santiago ARIAS (-71')

[5] Hector QUINONES

[6] Didier MORENO

[8] Michael ORTEGA

[9] Luis MURIEL (-87')

[10] James RODRIGUEZ (-78')

[13] Juan CABEZAS

[19] Jeison MURILLO

[20] Jose VALENCIA

Substitute(s)

[12] Andres MARMOLEJO (GK)

[21] Juan VILLATE (GK)

[2] Luciano OSPINA

[7] Fabian CASTILLO

[11] Duvan ZAPATA (+87')

[14] Juan DIAZ (+71')

[15] Yerson CANDELO

[16] Jonny MOSQUERA

[17] Javier CALLE (+78')

[18] Sebastian PEREZ

Coach

Eduardo LARA (COL)

France  Line-up

[21] Jonathan LIGALI (GK)

[5] Sebastien FAURE

[7] Gael KAKUTA (-68')

[8] Gueida FOFANA (C)

[10] Gilles SUNU

[11] Antoine GRIEZMANN (-83')

[12] Kalidou KOULIBALY

[13] Francis COQUELIN

[14] Timothee KOLODZIEJCZAK

[17] Cedric BAKAMBU (-46' HT)

[18] Maxime COLIN

Substitute(s)

[1] Pierrick CROS (GK)

[16] Lucas VERONESE (GK)

[2] Loic NEGO

[3] Thomas FONTAINE [A]

[4] Florian LEJEUNE

[6] Clement GRENIER (+68')

[9] Yannis TAFER (+83')

[15] Lionel CAROLE

[19] Alexandre LACAZETTE (+46' HT)

[20] Enzo REALE

Coach

Francis SMERECKI (FRA)Cautions

Kalidou KOULIBALY (FRA) 29'

Expulsions

Additional time

First Half: 1' Second Half: 2'

Colombia (COL) Statistics France (FRA)

14 Shots 13

8 Shots on goal 6

8 Fouls Committed 12

4 Corner kicks 8

1 Direct Free Kicks to Goal 2

0 Indirect Free Kicks to Goal 0

1 / 2 Penalty Kicks 0 / 0

2 Offsides 1

0 Own Goals 0

0 Cautions 1

0 Expulsions due to Second Caution 0

0 Direct Expulsions 0

55% Possession (%) 45%

29 Actual playing time 23

a.e.t.: After extra time (C): Captain PSO: Penalty Shoot-out

GK: Goalkeeper N: Not eligible to play I: Injured

Y: Yellow cards Pos: Positions A: Absent