Colombia made history on Tuesday as it won its third group game against Japan 4-1. It was the first time that the nation had won all three group games at the World Cup.

Here are some observations from the team's emphatic win:

1. Quintero is not ready for prime time

The game did not start off particularly great for Los Cafeteros. Japan was attacking and the South American midfield was struggling to cope. At the center of the struggles was young Juan Quintero. The 21-year-old had a spectacular game last Thursday against Ivory Coast as he scored the game winner and tormented the African defense.

But the magical touch was nowhere to be seen against Japan. The youngster looked slow with the ball and repeatedly made poor passes. Unlike the game against Ivory Coast in which he was a sidekick to James Rodriguez, Quintero was expected to lead the attack against Japan. It became clear that he was not up to the task.

2. James Rodriguez has to be an MVP candidate

At halftime the score was 1-1 and it looked like Japan would win it. The Asian nation looked hungrier and launched one wave of attacks after another. Meanwhile, Colombia looked punchless and lacking in offensive creativity.

But after halftime, it all changed. The reason? James Rodriguez. The 22-year-old dominated Japan with ease and creativity. He retained the ball and found ways to break down the Japanese defense with relative ease. The end result? Two assists and a breathtaking goal to punctuate an MVP performance.

He was terrific against Greece and the Ivory Coast, but this was undoubtedly his greatest achievement thus far. Aside from Arjen Robben, no player has looked better at this early stage of the tournament.

3. Japan plays its best game, but not good enough

Poor Japan. The team blew a lead against Ivory Coast, struggled to score against a 10-man Greece team and then got dismantled by Colombia despite putting together its best performance. The Kings of Asia were in control throughout the first half and managed a beautiful goal right before halftime. Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa were finding space that they never had in the previous matches and it just seemed inevitable that they would find the breakthrough at some point.

Even when they went down 2-1 in the second half, the team continued to attack with reckless abandon; they simply would not give up.

But it was not meant to be. The team's weak defense eventually imploded when matched by the peerless talents of Rodriguez, and the Japanese wound up on the receiving end of a lopsided score.

4. Colombia should be seriously considered as a World Cup contender

After three games, Los Cafeteros finished with nine points and are now on their way to the round of 16. First up for them is Uruguay, who will likely not have star player Luis Suarez. On paper, this may look like a tough matchup, but the results thus far make Colombia the clear-cut favorite to put on a show at the Maracana on Saturday. The team has had some defensive issues at times, but this is a minor concern when compared to other teams. After all, what team has not struggled defensively in this high-scoring tournament? The offense has clicked brilliantly, even without Falcao leading the line. Meanwhile, David Ospina has given the team great goaltending when needed. Colombia's play simply has no major flaw at the moment and in a tournament full of surprises, the biggest one might be that Los Cafeteros could emerge as favorites to win it all.

Man of the Match

Who else but James Rodriguez? He single-handedly changed the fortunes of Colombia with two brilliant assists and an even better goal. The second assist on Jackson Martinez's goal was a pass that required not only massive skill, but brilliant foresight in reading the play. Mastery from the 22-year-old.

Flop of the Match

Hard to fault any Japanese player for what amounted to a great effort, but if anyone should be hanging his head it should be Keisuke Honda. He had a plethora of chances to score from the free kick and was afforded tons of space in the Colombian penalty area. But he failed to lead the team when it counted most. And this might have been his last chance.

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