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AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Colombia v Uruguay, World Cup last 16

Colombia took on Uruguay in the second last-16 game of the day.

IT’S ANOTHER all-South American affair, as a Luis Suarez-less Uruguay take on Colombia, who seriously impressed in the group stages.

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the game. E-mail ben@thescore.ie, tweet @thescore_iepost a message to our Facebook wall, or leave a comment below.

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Hello, and welcome to today’s second liveblog.

If you missed Brazil-Chile, you can find out how it panned out here.

Luis Suarez may no longer be in Brazil, but the Uruguayans certainly won’t be forgetting him anytime soon…

Uru

The teams are in, and Forlan has replaced the banned Suarez in the team…

COLOMBIA: Ospina, Zapata, Yepes (c), Sanchez, Armero, Aguilar, Gutierrez, Rodriguez, Cuadrado, Zuniga, Martinez

URUGUAY: Muslera, Godin (c), Pereira, Rodriguez, Forlan, Gimenez, Pereira, Arevalo, Gonzalez, Cavani, Caceres.

Great to see Darragh Maloney and Richie Sadlier getting their Aprés Match World Cup debuts earlier. They had Maloney down pat while there were a couple of good Sadlier moments.

APRES1 RTE Player RTE Player

“The severity was excessive… the path that he is walking is one he must go down and he must start again, to be better. He will not walk alone”

This is a snippet of the speech delivered by Uruguay boss Oscar Tabarez that earned him an ovation from at least 30 journalists in the FIFA press briefing room yesterday.

SNTV - Inside every story / YouTube

The Suarez tributes continue…

Soccer - FIFA World Cup 2014 - Round of 16 - Colombia v Uruguay - Estadio do Maracana Mike Egerton Mike Egerton

(A Uruguay fan biting a doll wearing a Brazil shirt before the FIFA World Cup, Round of 16 match)

Eamon Dunphy on the prospect of a penalty shootout: “I’m going clubbing, so I can go straight to the club after.”

The anthems are over and we’re almost ready to go…

And we’re underway…

Hmmm…

3 mins: Decent start from Colombia. Cuadrado dribbles past his man before winning a free-kick.

Rodriguez delivers a hanging free kick in that Muslera decides to punch away.

5 mins: Another infringement from Cavani, this time, on Zuniga. Cuadrado’s shot then deflects off Yepes’ head and goes well over.

Colombia have looked the superior side so far, as Uruguay seem a tad sluggish and have been fairly wasteful in possession thus far.

10 mins: Forlan tries to play in Cavani but the striker fails to control the ball and the chance is gone.

Moments later, Zuniga, who’s looked lively, tests Muslera with a shot from distance, which he saves relatively comfortably.

18 mins: Godin tries to pick out the run of Cavani but marginally overhits his pass.

It’s been the kind of cagey game that many would have predicted thus far.

21 mins: Again Cuadrado is taken down cynically, as he attempts to dribble past his man. The referee will surely have to start booking players soon, given the number of fouls that Uruguay have already committed.

Meanwhile, Colombia have had 70% possession so far, thereby reflecting their slight superiority in the opening stages.

GOAL! Colombia 1-0 Uruguay (Rodriguez 28 mins)

James Rodriguez chests it down and volleys the ball off the underside of the bar and into the net from outside the box.

What a player he looks to be!

That goal was so good, we think it merits not one but two vines…

The hapless goalkeeper’s stunned reaction to that moment of genius from Rodriguez.

Goalkeeper

38 mins: The ball falls to Rodriguez, who produces a decent effort on the edge of the box that the Colombia goalkeeper gets down well to save. However, the linesman’s flag is raised anyway.

Uruguay have come into this more slightly since the opening goal.

43 mins: Another Uruguay attack has just petered out.

They seem to be lacking in ideas at the moment and look a little ponderous in the final third.

HALF-TIME: COLOMBIA 1-0 URUGUAY

So at half-time, Colombia probably just about deserve their narrow lead over Uruguay.

They dominated possession and had the better of the opening stages without creating too many clear-cut chances.

Uruguay, meanwhile, have been fairly unambitious, though they came more into the match after conceding the lead.

That said, the Uruguayans have been fairly unimpressive in the final third in the absence of Suarez, so they may struggle to find a goal in the second period.

The RTÉ panel are being controversial as ever…

The second half is underway…

Brazil Soccer WCup Colombia Uruguay Matt Dunham Matt Dunham

Uruguay’s goalkeeper Fernando Muslera cannot stop Colombia’s James Rodriguez’s shot.

GOAL! Colombia 2-0 Uruguay (Rodriguez 50 mins).

That man again has doubled Colombia’s advantage, albeit in less spectacular fashion.

A cross is headed into his path, and Monaco’s 22-year-old star makes no mistake with the finish.

Here’s a look at that very well worked second Colombia goal.
http://vine.co/v/MFOd6w9HDte

58 mins: Gonzalez takes a pot shot that Ospina saves comfortably.

Pereira and Forlan have come off for Stuani and Ramirez, as Uruguay desperately search for a way back into this game.

Cuadrado gets fouled by not one, but two Uruguayan players.

The certainly don’t lack bite without Suarez in the team (sorry!).

I’d be willing to bet that Cuadrado is one of the most fouled players in this World Cup.

He’s already been taken taken out three or four times at least in this game alone.

66 mins: A powerful drive from Rodriguez has to be parried away by Ospina.

Uruguay are showing signs of life yet, and the Colombians are looking a little vulnerable. At the moment, it’s not too dissimilar to how their group game with Ivory Coast panned out — another occasion where they finished the game in a conspicuously nervous manner.

68 mins: Again, Rodriguez threatens, as he receives the ball deep in the box, before a last-ditch defensive block saves Colombia.

Colombia are looking like reaching their first-ever World Cup, where they would face Brazil.

Meanwhile, as I type, Cavani heads a half-chance narrowly wide, as the Colombians again look nervy at the back.

75 mins: Uruguay are currently playing with three attackers, while Colombia appear content to sit back and soak up the pressure.

They have had a few half-chances since the goal but nothing clear cut, so anything other than a Colombian victory seems highly unlikely at this stage.

78 mins: Another hopeful long ball sails over a host of Uruguayan players waiting in the box.

Even with Suarez in the team, their lack of invention elsewhere means they probably would have struggled tonight regardless.

As I type however, Pereira capitalises on a mistake at the back, but the keeper comes off his line sharply to make the stop.

84 mins: Rodriguez departs to a rousing reception — it seems as if he’ll be getting his third man-of-the-match award in four games.

Meanwhile, Cavani has just had a shot well saved by Ospina, before Godin heads just wide from a corner.

The Uruguayans have undoubtedly upped the tempo in recent minutes, however it seems they have neither the class nor the time to change the outcome.

One couple’s day has just been made extra special, it seems.

Soccer - FIFA World Cup 2014 - Round of 16 - Colombia v Uruguay - Estadio do Maracana EMPICS Sport EMPICS Sport

FULL-TIME: URUGUAY 0-2 COLOMBIA 

Eamon Dunphy reckons Colombia will be “easy meat” for Brazil.

On the other hand, John Giles doesn’t think it’ll be easy for the hosts.

Right, that’s it from me.

Thanks for reading and commenting — we’ll have more reaction to come.

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