James Rodríguez’s expected return to Colombian football ended with an assist and a victory for Atlético Nacional. The midfielder entered the second time and participated directly in the goal with which his team defeated 3-2 to the Bogotá International in the El Campín stadium.
James began the match on the bench, but entered the 58th minute in replacement of Juan Manuel Rengifo to play his first official minutes with the 23rd shirt of the antioquean set.
The decisive moment came in the 99th minute. James Rodríguez sent a center that Juan Manuel Zapata turned into the victory goal for Atlético Nacional, thus closing his first official match since his return to the Colombian championship.
A great center for Zapata to define and secure the 3-2 victory against Bogotá International. #LALIGAxWIN pic.twitter.com/woPkZPmkfH
Diego Duarte advanced to Bogotá International in the 20th minute, although the local advantage lasted little.
Ian Poveda got the draw at minute 33 and left the match again open before the break.
James entered the second half, when Atlético Nacional sought to complete the rebound. Only two minutes after their entry, the antioquean set met the 2-1.
The game began with a recovery of James and ended with Elías Cabrera putting the visiting team ahead in the scoring at the 60th minute.
The Bogotá team did not renounce the match despite being again down in the scoring.
At the 82nd minute, Yohan Garcés appeared to get the 2-2 and forced Atlético Nacional to seek again the goal of victory in the final minutes.
When everything pointed to a draw, James appeared.
The Colombian midfielder received protagonism in the added time and placed a center that found Juan Manuel Zapata. The attacker decided to score 3-2 in the 99th minute and give the three points to Atlético Nacional.
The attendance turned James’ debut into an even more special match after two decades out of Colombian football.
At the age of 35, James Rodríguez returned to play an official match in the championship of his country after building virtually his entire professional career abroad.
The Colombian passed by clubs such as FC Porto, Monaco, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Everton and São Paulo, as well as other teams during his international career.
Now, with Atlético Nacional, James faces a new stage in Colombian football and will seek to help the Antioquean team compete for local titles.
The debut also comes after an important decision in the international midfielder’s career: James recently announced his retirement from the Colombian national team.
