Radamel Falcao made his long-overdue World Cup debut on Tuesday, having missed the previous edition due to injuries.
Unfortunately for Colombia, an early red card for teammate Carlos Sanchez meant their star striker was forced to forage with little support, and he was unable to make a telling impact in their 2-1 loss to Japan.
Here’s a closer look at Falcao’s performance.
KEY STATS
Goals – 0
Assists – 0
Shots – 2
Shots on target – 2
Pass accuracy – 92%
Key Passes – 0
Dribbles – 0
Touches – 47
30-SECOND REPORT
The Monaco striker was dealt a bad hand with Colombia being forced down to 10 men so early in the game, leaving their star striker isolated up front. That meant he had to lead the line with little attacking support, which he did with aplomb, putting in a bruising display that kept the Japanese defenders on their toes.
He’ll have wanted to mark this game – his World Cup debut, remarkably – with a goal, but the opportunities he had to score were all difficult half-chances.
GOT RIGHT
Movement – Playing as a lone striker, Falcao made sure the Japanese back-line was aware of his presence, drifting onto the shoulder of the last man whenever he could and moving all across the pitch as he tried his luck against everyone in the opposition back four.
Physicality – Shorn of his old pace because of injuries, Falcao’s physicality is now one of his strongest attributes, and it was on display here. He terrorised Japan’s defence, with Maya Yoshida in particular struggling to handle his strength.
GOT WRONG
Never quite got into prime position to score, with his best chances a couple of difficult, over-the-shoulder attempts to score. In fairness there may not have been much more he could have done, especially given his side’s numerical disadvantage and chief creator James Rodriguez starting on the bench. But Falcao sets high standards for himself, and he’ll be the first to admit he didn’t meet them on Tuesday. It was a fighting performance rather than a brilliant one, when Colombia needed brilliance.
KEY MOMENTS:
12th minute, SHOT: Nearly a classic goal from Falcao, tries guiding a dropping ball from a free-kick into the bottom corner, but his shot is straight at the keeper.
34th minute, SHOT: Another nearly moment as again, Falcao got his foot to a ball dropping over his shoulder, but at full stretch he just about gets a toe-poke that’s straight at the keeper again.
37th minute, FOUL: It was a cheap foul, but credit to Falcao, who muscled his defender and put himself in position to be fouled. Juan Quintero scored a brilliant goal from the resulting free-kick.
VERDICT
Falcao showed many of his best qualities on Tuesday, his strength, intelligent movement, and most of all his fighting spirit coming to the fore as he tried to lead a salvage job for 10-man Colombia. What was missing was the flash of brilliance that he’s capable of, and needed to deliver as Colombia waged an uphill battle. Twice, he came just short of producing a memorable goal, and in a game of fine margins that ended up being the difference.
RATING – 6/10
