World Cup 2018: Colombia vs Japan; Best & Worst Players from the game

#3 Best: Juan Quintero

Juan was deployed behind Falcao and was expected to play the role of a proper playmaker, i.e. to split apart the opposition defence with through-balls, to play lobbed balls into the box and to distribute the ball to the flanks in order to spread the attacking play.

However, Colombia rarely seemed to play through the centre, as Sanchez’s sending off resulted in Quintero being asked to pounce on the second balls headed by Falcao. These long balls were initiated from the Colombian backline in order to avoid being outnumbered at the centre of the park.

Quintero used his acceleration and footwork to good effect as he looked to push ahead along with Falcao, but Japan’s astute defensive positioning negated this aspect of Quintero’s game too. So, when all the pathways to the goal were closed down, Juan stepped up to take a free-kick a bit far away from the box from a good enough angle.

Being a left-footed player, many believed that Quintero would have targeted the top right corner. However, with a cool demeanor, Quintero waited for the wall of players to jump in unison before he slotted the ball perfectly from the bottom, at a good pace and it entwined further to avoid Ejji Kawashima’s gloves too.

It was the definition, the epitome of swagger, as Quintero provided a ray of hope to bounce back in the game for the Colombians.