James Rodriguez scores both goals as Colombia eliminate a Luis Suarez-less Uruguay. Earlier in the evening, Brazil defeat Chile on spot-kicks after finishing all-square after 120 minutes, with David Luiz and Alexis Sanchez grabbing the goals in normal time:
Hosts Scrape Through on Penalties
Phil Scolari’s side squeezed past Chile with an unconvincing display that may have many Fantasy managers thinking twice over loading up on their main assets. Defensively, Brazil have failed to impress so far and now have a single clean sheet in four appearances, though David Luiz continues to deliver the returns – he added to his recent assist against Cameroon with the opener in yesterday’s win.
Up top, Neymar, having scored twice in two of his first three appearances, was an armband favourite for many but the Barcelona man was limited to just a single shot on target, with three of his efforts wayward. Indeed, the hosts had 23 attempts over the 120 minutes but mustered a mere six on target in a below-par display.
Scolari made one change for yesterday’s game, with Man City’s Fernandinho coming in for Paulinho in the centre of the park. The Brazil boss has a midfield dilemma for the upcoming clash with Colombia, though – Luis Gustavo’s yellow card means he is set to serve a one-match suspension.
Sanchez Strikes Again
Jorge Sampaoli also made a single alteration, bringing in Arturo Vidal for Felipe Gutierrez, with Charles Aranguiz dropping deeper in the centre of the park to accommodate the Juventus man. Once again, Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas were in the points for Chile – the former’s equaliser means he ended the tournament with two goals and an assist, while Vargas, having teed up Sanchez’ strike, delivered a goal and two assists over his four appearances.
In the FIFA McDonalds game, the Brazil back-four impressed for recovered balls. Marcelo’s 13 was top, with Luis Gustavo (10) Thiago Silva (nine), David Luiz (eight) and Dani Alves (seven) next in line. For Chile, Francisco Silva led the way with 10, followed by Marcelo Diaz and Gary Medel, with nine apiece, and Charles Aranguiz, Mauricio Isla and Euguenio Mena, with seven.
Rodriguez at the Double
The Colombia midfielder is staking a real claim for player of the tournament after yet another superb showing last night. Rodriguez’s outstanding opener, followed by a tap-in, took his tally to five goals for the campaign – top scorer in the World Cup thus far – and with a couple of assists also to his name, the Monaco man has proven to be a must-have across the Fantasy games.
Elsewhere in the midfield, Juan Cuadrado also served up the points for the fourth consecutive appearance. The winger’s assist means he now has a goal and four assists for the tournament and underlines his budget-friendly appeal – doubling up on the Colombia midfield pair has proven to be a canny tactic so far and owners will surely hold ahead of the Brazil game, given that Jose Pekerman’s side having scored at least twice in all four of their fixtures so far.
Personnel-wise, having rang the changes in the final group game against Japan, Pekerman recalled his first-choice options for last night’s 2-0 win. Keeper David Ospina and left-back Pablo Armero in defence, Fantasy favourite Cuadrado on the right and Jackson Martinez, who was rewarded for his two-goal salvo against the Japanese with his second start of the tournament.
In the FIFA McDonalds game, Cristian Zapata and Abel Aguilar managed nine recovered balls for Colombia, with Juan Zuniga next best on five. For Uruguay, Martin Caceres was top with seven, while Diego Godin and Egidio Arevalo-Rios registered five apiece.
