LOS CAFETEROS

If you need a cup of coffee after that penalty shoot-out, then there is a chance that the coffee has come from Colombia.; if not go buy some just to help their economy. I have been watching the game in a very smart b&b near Macroom in Ireland and fighting off a Spanish teenager who is over here for an exchange experience wanting to chat English and two little girls who were trying to play snooker in the bar area. I was put through the wringer by them, but in the end Gareth's boys prevailed. So they should.

Colombia's team lies 16th in FIFA's list, a national federation founded in 1924, joining FIFA in 1936. They stated that the football team should be a "sign of national pride, nationalism and passion". Well they certainly showed that enthusiasm surrounding the referee at every opportunity and finally failing at the last minute. All credit to them for giving it a go..but it wasn't enough; the ref was poor.

Los Cafeteros, as they are known, fly home to South America and will wait another year or so to qualify for the next World Stage event.

We remember Rene Higuita, El Loco, their crazy goalkeeper 
who performed the famous scorpion kick in 1995 at Wembley in a friendly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-flTPSSvCw

and Andres Escobar who lost his life to an assassination for scoring an own goal in a crucial match in a 1994 WCup match against the USA, when he deflected a shot from John Harkes, making it a 1-2 defeat.
After a night out, Escobar was cornered in a car park on July 1st and shot six times by a killer who shouted out "Gol!" after every shot...mimicking the TV commentator who was reporting the match. Humberto Munzo was found guilty of the murder. He was a hit man for a drug cartel whose top man had lost a lot of money gambled on the game.
Needless to say, Escobar's family set up a trust to raise money to help poor young Colombians enjoy football.
Two days later Alan Hansen commentated in a match that an Argentina defender in  match against Romania "needed shooting"...the BBC apologised.

And let's not forget Carlos Valderrama, the county's most capped player; 111 caps-11 goals.