James Rodriguez Brings Memories Of The 2014 World Cup, Looks Gemilang When Colombia Beat Paraguay 2-1

James Rodriguez, print two assists for Colombia's victory (photo: x @jamesdrodriguez)

JAKARTA - James Rodriguez revived the memories of his sensational appearance at the 2014 World Cup on Monday, June 24 over Tuesday morning WIB. The Colombian midfielder created two goal assists in his team's 2-1 win over Paraguay in the opening match of the 2024 Copa America.

The 32-year-old won the Golden Boot in Brazil a decade ago, with his volley against Uruguay in the last 16 still considered one of the best goals in World Cup history. However, his career has decreased in recent years.

After playing for big clubs like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, Rodriguez joined Brazilian club Sao Paulo last year. That made him his fourth club in four seasons. He played at Everton in the 2020/2021 season before being sold to Qatar club, Al-Rayyan, and then joined Olympiacos on a free transfer.

However, the captain of the Colombia team made the difference in the Group D match in Houston, Texas, on Monday and was named Man of the Match.

"I'm very happy, it's important to start well today against tough opponents like Paraguay," Rodriguez told Caracol Gol. "We can perform better in the second half, but you can fix things better when the team wins, it's much easier."

More than 60,000 Colombian fans at the Houston NRG Stadium gave Rodriguez a lively applause as he left the pitch in extra time, following a performance that saw them look forward to lifting the continental trophy again after 23 years of waiting.

"It was beautiful, they supported us very well. We had a long way to go in this Copa America and we took one game at a time," Rodriguez added.

Colombia will next face Costa Rica on Friday before fighting Brazil four days later.