Needing a win to stay alive in the FIFA World Cup 2018, Poland and Colombia came all guns blazing in an intense slugfest but it was Colombia which took the lead at 1-0, at halftime, in their second Group H league match at the Kazan Arena on Sunday.
It was Yerry Mina who rose above the Poland defence, in the 40th minute, to head a James Rodriguez declicate chipped cross to put the South American side ahead.
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It was, however, Poland which started with excellent inent and it repeatedly put the Colombian defence under pressure. However, the defence hung on to deny Poland many a time.
After an initial hiccup, the Colombians took a cue from their opponents and stepped up on the gas. The Colombian strikers made some inroads into the Polish defence but lacked precision in the final third to move ahead.
James Rodriguez and Juan Quintero linked up well but lacked power and precision from the flanks.
Colombia got a chance in the 28th minute when Quintero sliced through the Polish defence with a reverse pass but Abel Aguilar, who went off injured later, couldn't put boot to the ball at the right time.
Radamel Falcao too chipped in with some useful crosses but lacked support from his teammates and the goal eluded them.
However, it was Mina who made sure Colombia went into the break with the lead.
Quintero took the corner shot, got the pass back from Cuadrado and played the ball to James, whose first-touch shot was enough for Mina to do the rest.
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