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Colombia beat Poland 3-0 on Sunday in Group H at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia thanks to goals from Yerry Mina, Radamel Falcao and Juan Cuadrado.
The result means that Colombia remains in contention to qualify for the last 16 of the tournament, while Poland has been eliminated.
Quintero emerges as Colombia's star man alongside James
Juan Fernando Quintero and James Rodriguez set the tone as Colombia produced a superb attacking football to dominate Poland.
Manager Jose Pekerman took an offensive approach to the match by throwing both players, and both were well suited to cause Poland all kinds of problems.
The match was James' first start for the World Cup after he was only a substitute in their opening match due to injury, but he put in a sparkling display and contributed with two assists.
The Bayern Munich striker scored Colombia's first goal thanks to a magnificent playoff center, following a superb Quintero ball that allowed Mina to beat goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
The second was a pass wrapped in the trajectory of Cuadrado, who ran across and shot past Szczesny to make 3-0.
Squawka Football has shown its record at the international level:
Squawka Football @Squawka
James Rodríguez was directly involved in 10 goals in seven #WorldCup appearances.
6 goals
4 assistsFrom Russia with love. https://t.co/noKhbjTVV2
Quintero also seems to have shone at the World Cup, and his clever use of the ball was a feature of the first half.
Selecao Brasileira explained the impact he had:
Seleção Brasileira @BrazilStat
Juan Quintero is an extremely intelligent player, his disguised passes fooled Poland's defense throughout half. Skillful and technical, River Plate man.
His contract ends in six months, European clubs should all be over 25 years old.
Quintero set up Falcao for Colombia's second goal thanks to a decisive pass for the defense.
Thanks to this victory, the Colombian hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages are a huge boost. James and Quintero have two creative players capable of brightening the tournament.
Barcelona should think twice about selling Yerry Mina
Barcelona defender Mina entered the team and opened the scoring with a fine head for his first World Cup goal.
Sports journalist Robbie Dunne offered his perspective on the goal:
Robbie Dunne @robbiejdunne
One of the most beautiful goals of the World Cup. Quintero with the disguised pass, the delivery of James and then Mina hovering in the air. Beautiful.
The 23-year-old also had a strong defense performance, while Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski had few goals to go through and had another frustrating night.
Scout football has highlighted its international record:
Scouted Football @ScoutedFtbl
How about this for your World Cup debut?
Yerry Mina (23) converts a smart head to give Colombia the advantage.
It's his fourth goal in just 13 selections. ?? https://t.co/2wGtpxDjEk
It was a strong exit from Mina, whose future club is uncertain. It could be sold by Barcelona this summer despite arriving only at the club in January, by Mundo Deportivo (h / t Football Espana).
Barcelona must sell Mina to free up a place outside the EU for midfielder Arthur, who should arrive, according to the report Mundo Deportivo.
The club should also bring Clement Lenglet from Seville, according to sport (h / t Sport Witness). If the defender were to arrive, it would only diminish Mina's chances of playing team football.
Mina has barely had the opportunity to prove herself in Barcelona and has only made six appearances for the club.
One of his rare opportunities to impress was the 5-4 defeat against Levante when he made a bad performance, and the club's hopes of going through the entire La Liga season were not enough. have not ended.
It is unfair to judge Mina on his career in Barcelona because he arrived in the middle of the season and had to adapt to a new league and a new club.
His Sunday performance proved that he had the talent to play on the world stage, and Barcelona should think twice about letting him go this summer.
Lewandowski continues to hurt in the summer
Lewandowski had a bad game for Poland, and the defeat means it's an early exit for the Bayern Munich star during his World Cup debut.
The 29-year-old had a good chance to score for Poland, but could not beat David Ospina for Colombia's goal.
Damian Spellman of the Press Association offered his point of view on the attacker:
Damian Spellman @DamianSpellman
@philegansport Lewandowski looks at the shadow of the player that he was a few years ago.
Lewandowski has not yet scored at the World Cup, and his performances will not have helped his chances of a Bayern summer start.
His agent, Pini Zahavi, said in May that Lewandowski "feels that he needs a change and a new challenge in his career," according to Sport Bild (h / t Mark Lovell at ESPN FC).
Bayern Munich does not want to sell Lewandowski because he is one of the biggest players and a prolific scorer in the Bundesliga.
It would take a huge sum for Bayern to separate from Lewandowski, and given his ineffective World Cup performances, all interested clubs can be forgiven for having doubts about the striker.
And after
The last day of Group H will take place on Thursday. Poland faces Japan in the Volgograd Arena, while Colombia faces Senegal in Samara.
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