Colombia coach Jose Pekerman has admitted that his team deserved their 2-0 win over Uruguay in the second round of the World Cup.

Two goals from James Rodriguez were enough to see the Colombians advance at the tournament on Saturday at the expense of their fellow South Americans.

"I'd like to congratulate the whole of Colombia because they deserved this," Pekerman told FIFA.com. "We made some alterations because we knew how strong our opponents were - it's really important to know about the opposition.

"The main factor was the first half, when we were very solid and managed to get ahead. It's great to have a player like James Rodriguez, and his confidence was very high after our previous game."

Colombia will now face hosts Brazil for a place in the semi-finals.