Poland 0-3 Colombia: James & Cuadrado shine to keep Colombia alive with Poland elimination

Poland went out of the World Cup after slipping to a 3-0 defeat against Colombia as Radamel Falcao scored his first World Cup goal.

2018 World Cup

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Match Events

21' Colombia make threats

Colombia clear their lines once again and create their own counter that sees James play a lovely ball through for Falcao. The striker can't find the inside pass in the Poland box though after his break and Piszczek sticks it out for a corner. 

32' Aguilar goes off injured

The veteran midfielder is carried from the field, and Mateus Uribe is introduced from the Colombian bench.

40' GOAL! Poland 0-1 Colombia (Y. Mina)

GOAL FOR MINA! COLOMBIA LEAD 1-0! 

It's a lovely piece of team play as, on the back of another corner, Falcao plays short for Cuadrado who tips it on to James on the right of the box. He floats a lovely cross in to the left post and Mina rises above the Polish defence to knock it home with a clean finish. 

It's a well-deserved lead for the South Americans whose travelling support explodes around Kazan. 1-0 to Colombia!

52' WHAT A CHANCE missed by Falcao!

Falcao! A golden chance to make it two goals for Colombia is squandered by the captain as he blasts a square pass from Cuadrado over and wide at the near-right post from 16 yards out.

58' CHANCE!  Lewandowski's shot saved

Lewandowski! Save from Ospina as Poland spot that Colombia's defence has not dropped back save for Davinson Sanchez and push a long ball forward for their captain, who is denied at close range by a dive from the keeper.

70' GOAL! Poland 0-2 Colombia (R. Falcao)

FALCAO FOR COLUMBIA! 2-0! 

That may be curtains for Poland as the Colombian captain, supplied by a Quintero throughball, races into the opposition box and calmly slots home with a strike into the bottom-left corner under Szczesny.

75' GOAL! Poland 0-3 Colombia (Juan Cuadrado)

CUADRADO MAKES IT THREE FOR COLOMBIA! Time has indeed run out for Poland as they find themselves at the hands of a rout. 

James plays another wonderful ball forward, to find the attacking midfielder as he bursts through into the opposition box and nudges his shot into the bottom-right corner past Szczesny. It's been an emphatic performance from him and his nation.

Match Report

Radamel Falcao scored his first World Cup goal as Colombia revived their hopes of reaching the World Cup knockout phase with a 3-0 victory over Poland, who now cannot reach the last 16.

Monaco striker Falcao stroked home his 30th international goal, making him the first player from Colombia to reach such a milestone, midway through the second half of a cagey encounter in Kazan, where defeat for either side would have meant elimination from the competition.

Barcelona defender Yerry Mina scored the opener, powering a header beyond Wojciech Szczesny five minutes before half-time to enliven the contest, and it was the creativity and industry of Juan Cuadrado and James Rodriguez that picked apart Poland's tightly stitched seams.

The presence of James, fully fit again after a calf injury, vastly improved Colombia's link-up play following a below-par performance in their opening 2-1 defeat to Japan, and he provided the assist for Cuadrado to add a third goal that put the game well beyond Poland.

Victory leaves Jose Pekerman's side on three points in Group H, one point behind co-leaders Japan and Senegal ahead of their crunch match against the latter on Thursday.

Poland will have a role to play in deciding the fate of the group when they take on Japan, but ultimately head coach Adam Nawalka can have few complaints about being dumped out of the competition after two games in which his side failed to provide talismanic striker Robert Lewandowski with adequate service.

75' GOAL! Poland 0-3 Colombia (Juan Cuadrado)

75' GOAL! Poland 0-3 Colombia (Juan Cuadrado)

Line-ups

Poland XI: Michal Pazdan, Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Piszczek, Maciej Rybus, Robert Lewandowski, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Bartosz Bereszynski, Piotr Zielinski, Jacek Goralski, Jan Bednarek, Dawid Kownacki

Subs: Lukasz Fabianski, Artur Jedrzejczyk, Kamil Grosicki, Bartosz Bialkowski, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Slawomir Peszko, Thiago Cionek, Kamil Glik, Lukasz Teodorczyk, Arkadiusz Milik, Karol Linetty, Rafal Kurzawa

Colombia XI: Abel Aguilar, Radamel Falcao, David Ospina, Juan Cuadrado, James Rodríguez, Juan Quintero, Santiago Arias, Johan Mojica, Wilmar Barrios, Yerry Mina, Davinson Sánchez

Subs: Cristián Zapata, José Cuadrado, Camilo Vargas, Farid Díaz, Óscar Murillo, Carlos Bacca, Luis Muriel, José Izquierdo, Miguel Borja, Mateus Uribe, Jefferson Lerma