Japan 1, Colombia 4: Martinez scores twice as Colombia tops Group C

Even with a lineup comprised largely of reserves, Colombia was too much for Japan to handle.

Jackson Martinez scored twice in the second half to ensure Colombia closed out Group C with three victories, while Japan fell well short of the victory they needed to keep their advancement hopes alive.

A penalty kick by Juan Cuadrado opened the scoring for Colombia, but Shinji Okazaki equalized right before halftime after a desperate, dominating stretch by Japan.

The second half was a different beast altogether, after James Rodriguez and Carlos Carbonero replaced Cuadrado and Juan Quintero for Colombia, which controlled play for much of the latter 45 minutes. Both of Martinez's goals were set up by Rodriguez, who added his third goal of the tournament in the 90th minute.

Japan fired 23 shots over the course of the match, forcing five saves from Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina and one from Faryd Mondragon, who replaced Ospina near the end of the match to become the oldest player in World Cup history.

Colombia's defense seemed to have an answer for every one of Japan's attacks, blocking six shots on target and generating dangerous counter-attacks as a result. At the other end, the quality of Colombia's forwards was eventually too much for the Japanese back line, which withered under pressure as the squad took more and more risks later in the match.

Colombia will face Uruguay in the round of 16 after Uruguay defeated Italy 1-0 earlier on Tuesday to advance out of Group D.