World Cup 2014: Colombia Defeats Greece, 3-0

It was a cringe-inducing start to Group C play for Greece and a thrilling one for Colombia as Pablo Armero put the Colombians ahead less than five minutes in, sending the overwhelmingly Colombian-supporting crowd in Belo Horizonte into an early frenzy.

But it did not quite turn into a rout, as Greece responded well and was able to produce a healthy share of opportunities throughout the rest of the first half. Panagiotis Kone and Giorgos Samaras were able to test Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina, but could not break through.

Any result looked possible until the 58th minute, when a corner-kick goal from Teófilo Gutiérrez doubled Colombia's lead and seemed to deflate Greece. James Rodríguez, who created much of his team's offense, capped the win in stoppage time with a goal to go with his impressive assist, giving Colombia a 3-0 victory. Colombia next faces Ivory Coast on Thursday at noon, while Greece plays Japan on Thursday at 6 p.m.