On Wednesday, the Netherlands became the first country to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament after beating Australia in a spirited contest. Later in the day, Chile made history by beating Spain for the first time ever and eventually sending the latter home. This huge shock was followed by Cameroon's self-destruction against Croatia.
Today, the games begin with a mouth-watering clash against in-form Colombia and confident Ivory Coast. Former Chelsea superstar Didier Drogba was the game changer in his side's opening fixture against Japan. The Elephants were 1-0 down due to Honda's first half goal but the introduction of 'The Drog' inspired Wilfried Bony and Gervinho to turn the tables around.
Cote d'Ivoire are looking to build on this vital win and join the Dutch, the Chileans and the Croatians in the Last 16. However, the challenge is huge in the form of Los Cafeteros. The Colombians entertained the public with their massive win against Euro 2004 champions Greece. Watch out for top attacking play this Thursday!
Colombia's First XI: Ospina, Zapata, Yepes (c), Sanchez, Armero, Aguilar, Gutierrez, Rodriguez, Cuadrado, Ibarbo, Zuniga
Cote d'Ivoire's First XI: Barry, Boka, Zokora, Tiote, Gervinho, Bony, Gradel, Aurier, Y Toure (c), Serey, Bamba
