FIXTURES FOR QUARTER FINALS: Nigeria Vs Colombia [SEE DATE]

Colombia vs Nigeria


Date: wed 10 Aug 2016

Time: 19:0 0Local time (11pm Nigerian time)

Arena Corinthians Sao Paulo (BRA)


Profile: Colombia

Olympic record:
Rio 2016 will mark Colombia's fifth appearance at the Men's Olympic Football Tournament and the country will be hoping to finally deliver on this stage. They went into Mexico 1968, Munich 1972, Moscow 1980 and Barcelona 1992 with high expectations owing to a rich vein of talent in Colombian football in these periods, but did not live up to the hype and failed to progress beyond the first round on each occasion.

The Road to Rio:
Colombia's path to Rio 2016 can be divided into two parts. First up was the 2015 South American U-20 Championship in Uruguay, where they took second place. After edging through the first group phase with two wins and defeats apiece, they came into their own in the final stage, including drawing with the hosts and thrashing Brazil 3-0 to end up behind only Argentina. Although this runners-up finish was not good enough to qualify directly for Rio 2016, with only the winners going straight through, it did book them a ticket to the intercontinental play-off against USA. The Colombians prevailed over two legs, triumphing 2-1 in Texas after being held 1-1 in Barranquilla. Several members of the aforementioned U-20 side, such as Jarlan Barrera and Rafael Santos Borre, played their part in getting the job done, while Juan Fernando Quintero and Roger Martinez were particularly influential among the older heads involved.

Former stars
Gustavo Santa (1968), Willington Ortiz (1972), Radamel Garcia, Alexis Garcia (both 1980), Faustino Asprilla, Ivan Valenciano, Victor Hugo Aristizabal (all 1992).

The stat
3 – The number of wins Colombia have managed in their 12 Men's Olympic Football Tournament games to date.