James Rodriguez Rescues Colombia From Disastrous Result Against Bolivia

Colombia almost offered Argentina a massive lifeline before they’d even taken the field by leaving it until the 83rd-minute to take the lead against lowly Bolivia in Barranquilla. However, James Rodriguez converted the follow-up after his initial penalty was saved, and Colombia secured a vital three points.

James remains very much on the periphery at Real Madrid, scoring only two goals in La Liga this season, but he’s a faultless captain when it comes to leading Colombia.

Colombia knew that a victory here would see them climb to third, while a defeat or draw would make qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia an almost impossible task. Against Bolivia, ninth in the ten-team table, Colombia probably expected a cakewalk at home. 

But they left it extremely late after controlling nearly 75% of possession and firing 21 shots at the Bolivian net. Juan Cuadrado won the penalty after an inexplicable foul from Cristian Coimbra and James did the rest.

¡GOOOOL! Lampe tapa el penal pero @jamesdrodriguez patea el rebote y pone a ganar a @FCFSeleccionCol #Eliminatorias https://t.co/ZPQDa6vxYZ

— beIN SPORTS Español (@ESbeINSPORTS) March 23, 2017