COLOMBIA 2, IVORY COAST 1 Group C Has One Defined Leader

After their first World Cup victory in 16 years last Saturday, Colombia fans expressed their appreciation by giving Coach José Pékerman more than 400,000 write-in votes in Sunday’s presidential election.

That alone made the professorial Pékerman a national hero and his stature rose even higher Thursday when Colombia held on to beat Ivory Coast, 2-1, in a thrilling, wide-open Group C match at Estádio Nacional in front of a sea of fans wearing Colombian yellow shirts. That victory, combined with a subsequent 0-0 tie between Japan and Greece, propelled Colombia into the second round for the first time since 1990.

If the election were held again, Pékerman, who was born in Argentina and granted citizenship shortly after Colombia qualified for the World Cup, might double his vote tally. And should Colombia advance in the knockout stages, he might eventually have to change his designation to Mr. President.

 “It’s a little it funny, because football doesn’t have anything to do with being the leader of a country,” Pékerman said. “But I take it as an honor because this is payback for a lot of hard work. After a lot of frustration, it pleases us. Our nation is so passionate about its football that it hurts not to be on par with other countries.”

But after beating a talented Ivory Coast team in a harrowing 90 minutes of forward-minded soccer, Colombia is in a better position than some of the most renowned soccer-playing countries, including Spain, which has been eliminated, and England, which lost Thursday in crushing fashion to Uruguay, 2-1.

For several days leading up to this match, fans of Colombia, which neighbors Brazil, flooded into Brasilia, turning the stadium and the surrounding areas into a satellite Colombian city. The attendance was announced as 68,748, a record for the renovated stadium, and at least 90 percent seemed to be rooting for Colombia, a team that few believed would make much noise in Brazil.

Colombia’s ability to score was questioned since it was without its top-rated striker, Radamel Falcao, who was lost to a knee injury in January. But Colombia has more than made do without him, and its fans have made plenty of noise, both inside the stadiums and out.

First Colombia beat Greece, 3-0, with James Rodríguez scoring one of the goals.

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On Thursday, Rodríguez, Colombia’s 22-year-old playmaker, scored the opening goal against Ivory Coast on a header off a corner kick in the 64th minute, and celebrated by doing a celebratory dance with his teammates along the touchline, as the fans made a deafening roar of delight.

“So many people rooting for you, it was extraordinary,” Rodríguez said. “It was very loud and it was in our favor so that Colombia could win.”

But the Ivorians found inspiration as well. During the national anthems, Serey Die was overcome with emotion and tears streamed down his cheeks. According to a press relations officer for Ivory Coast, Die’s father died in 2004, and he was thinking about him during the anthem.

Rodríguez’s goal came only four minutes after Ivory Coast brought in Didier Drogba, its most celebrated player, off the bench.

It is not true that more than 400.000 Colombians voted for Pékerman in Colombia’s presidential election last Sunday. Official reports early...

With Colombia leading, 1-0, Ivory Coast was careless when trying to bring the ball out of its own end, and was stripped. The ball was played forward to Teófilo Gutiérrez on a quick counterattack, and he pushed it forward on the right wing to Juan Quintero, who slotted into the goal with his left foot, initiating another dance.

With 20 minutes to play, things seemed bleak for Ivory Coast, but three minutes later its forward Gervinho scored a terrific goal, splitting two defenders near the side of the box and weaving around a third before powering home to the short side. His celebration was to urge his teammates back to the line for a kickoff, as time was running out.

There were several more opportunities for Ivory Coast late in the game, but Colombia held on for a victory that was destined to propel them where they had not been in 24 years.

“It is a huge pleasure to see Colombia at the World Cup after a long period of time,” Pékerman said. “Now, to have two consecutive victories, we have the tranquillity of 6 points.”