Colombia into Quarter Finals With Win Over Cyprus (GFWC Round of 16 Match 55)

A Chapter by Steve Clark

The following articles highlight the process of Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and their demise from the governance of international football and the rise of Global Futbol.

July 3rd, 2018 (GFWC Round of 16 Match 55)

Colombia into Quarter Finals With Win Over Cyprus

Colombia 2-0 Cyprus

Colombia has progressed to the Quarter Finals after two goals in the first half catered for a defiant yet underwhelmed Cyprus.

The South Americans started Falcao alongside Rodriguez, while Cyprus made no changes to the starting eleven against Poland, even though Antoniades seemed to have recovered in training footage from his injury sustained in their second game.

These two teams had recently faced each other twice before in the Physico Championship, with one win each. However, Colombia knew that meant nothing as they sought an early goal to ensure safe passage beyond the Round of 16, and their attacking prowess earned a free kick near goal to set up the strikers. Rodriguez sent the free kick towards goal, only for Cypriot goalkeeper Georgallides to parry it away. The ball fell to a contest between Charalambidis and Carlos Sánchez, of which the latter won. Mina then reached for the free ball and headed into the net.

Needing to make up the goal, Cyprus went on the slight offensive. Charalambidis sought retribution for his poor contest earlier, and had a shot, only for the Colombian defence to block the ball. Demetriou also had his shot stopped by the Colombians as they ensured no shots would pass their line.

Mytides had the best chance after receiving a cross from Demetriou, but the header flew over the bar. Again, Cyprus kept trying to level the score. Efrem’s shot was also blocked, this time by Zapata. The resulting corner saw the Charalambidis header tipped over the bar by Ospina.

Four minutes later, against the run of play, Colombia charged down the field. From the right, Quintero passed to Falcao into the middle. He turned around Dossa Junior, who nudged him with his thigh. Rather than dropping for the foul, Falcao carried on and shot into the inside of the post and the ball found the netting.

In the second half, Colombia wanted a third goal early to guarantee the win. Three minutes in, Quintero had a great opportunity, only for Georgallides to pull off the save. Fabra tried to follow up moments later, but the poor shot flew across and out of play.

Colombia kept an attacking style, though they failed to keep pressuring the goal. Their possession frustrated the Cypriot players, who could do nothing but watch their World Cup campaign slowly come to an end. Christofi had a chance for a late consolation, but his shot was too soft and Ospina collected it with ease. The South American side celebrated at the final whistle, knowing they had catered for a team that could have been rather difficult if all their players were at their peak performance.

Colombia now face the winner of Ecuador and Macedonia, which is sure to be a tougher game. Cyprus will start their Nations League campaign in September against Turkey, hoping to rise from “B” category to the top European flight. They have come out of this World Cup with solid experience and improvement in players across all positions. Charalambidis was a revelation as attacking midfielder, while Charalambous, Merkis and Sielis were sound defenders. Goalkeeper Georgallides kept the Cypriots in many games with his saves, and the substitutes made by coach Ran Ben Shimon held their own. Cyprus’s future is bright as they continue to rise in rankings and set up qualification for the next World Cup in 2022.