Naija, make I yarn you di latest gist from Mexico City. Colombia don kick off dia 2026 World Cup campaign with victory over Uzbekistan, and di captain, James Rodriguez, na di main man wey dey hold di team together. Dis match wey happen for Estadio Azteca, see di way di Colombian fans dey shout, e be like say di whole stadium shake.
James Rodriguez, wey don dey play for national team since 2011, na di veteran wey di young boys dey look up to. Di 34-year-old midfielder, wey blow for 2014 World Cup with six goals and Golden Boot, don return to di biggest stage after Colombia miss 2022 tournament. Now, 17 players from di 26-man squad never taste World Cup before, including star forward Luis Diaz. So James, as captain, no be only baller but also mentor.
After di match, James tok about how e feel when di anthem play. “E be like my first game,” e yarn. “Di feeling unique. I happy because of dat.” E also talk about di tough journey back to World Cup, especially di last three months wey hard. “With help from my teammates and coaching staff, I happy. We play good game,” e add.
Uzbekistan try to shut am down with tight marking, but James adjust. “Dem dey tactically strong and dey sit deep,” e explain. “I try to drop back to play through balls and help build game. Puerta and Jhon Arias attack di spaces wey I leave. E easy when you get players with dis kind of quality.”
Forward Luis Suarez, wey dey play first World Cup match, praise di veterans like James. “Dem give us sense of calm because dem don play for other World Cups,” Suarez tok. “Dem give us confidence for our talent and ability to win every match.”
Colombia now dey top of Group K after dis win. Di team hope to make deep run like 2014 when dem reach quarterfinals, di furthest ever. James iconic volley goal against Uruguay for dat tournament still dey ring for fans mind. Now, with am as anchor, Colombia dey look to write new history.
Di match show say James still get quality, even if e no shine pass. Di team dey rely on im experience and talent. Next up, dem go face more challenges for Group K, but with captain like James, dem dey confident.
