Author: Soorya G
In a dramatic turn of events, James Rodríguez found himself at the center of São Paulo’s elimination from the Copa Sudamericana quarter-finals on Thursday. However, in the midst of his disappointment, he was quickly embraced by his teammates. Despite the reassuring support, the Colombian maestro wasted no time in taking responsibility for São Paulo’s defeat to LDU at the iconic Morumbi stadium.
He commented: “I think I had a positive impact; I gave an assist, but then came the unfortunate incident of the penalty. I had never come across such a situation in my life. I take full responsibility; it’s my fault. I could have performed better, but that’s the nature of soccer, full of unpredictable twists and turns.“
James Rodríguez entered the match during the second half and significantly increased São Paulo’s attacking capacity. Remarkably, it was his corner kick that led to Arboleda’s decisive goal, securing a 1-0 win for the Tricolor and forcing a penalty shootout, where James was the only one to miss. It’s remarkable that in just one month of arriving at the club, James has seen fewer minutes on the pitch compared to Lucas, a newcomer who has since taken over the starting role, despite picking up an injury after his arrival. However, James exudes a calm personality and doesn’t rush to demand more playing time.
He said: “I’m feeling in good physical shape and it’s the coach who determines playing time. I arrived just 25 days ago, which is a relatively short time. However, every day I’m doing my best. I felt good today, and my fitness is improving progressively with each match.“
São Paulo now have a tight schedule to recover from the setback in South America. On the horizon is the Brazilian Championship match against Coritiba, scheduled for Sunday. This match represents a key opportunity to break out of a disheartening run of six games without a win.