Colombia’s women’s soccer team continued their surprise run at the 2023 World Cup, defeating Jamaica 1-0 in the round of 16 on Tuesday. The Cafeteras, who are ranked 25th in the world, were the underdogs against the Reggae Girlz, but they prevailed thanks to a goal from Catalina Usme. Barring Morocco, which faces France in the final round-of-16 game today, Colombia is the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition.
The match was a tight affair for most of the time, with neither team able to create many clear-cut chances. However, Colombia took the lead in the 51st minute when Catalina Usme scored a brilliant goal from inside the box. The young midfielder curled the ball into the top corner of the net, giving Jamaica’s goalkeeper no chance.
The moment of the match so far! ๐
โ FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 8, 2023
Will we see some late drama? ๐ญ#BeyondGreatness | #FIFAWWC
Colombia held on for the victory to set up a quarterfinal clash with England. The Lionesses are the top contenders for the championship and are ranked fourth in the world, but Colombia will be confident of their chances. They have been one of the most impressive teams at the tournament, and they have a wealth of experience in their squad.
The quarterfinal game will take place in Sydney on Saturday August 12th. The stadium is expected to be packed, and it’ll be a great chance for Colombia to go all the way and make history by reaching the World Cup semi-finals for the very first time.
Thumbs up if you’re in the Quarter-Finals! ๐๐จ๐ด๐@CataUsme | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/xjtYLnRf8q
โ FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 8, 2023
“So many things are going through my head that I canโt describe what I am feeling because itโs a lot of years of work, years of fighting, of everything โฆ of falling and then getting back up,” goalscorer Catalina Usme told FIFA.
“Today, we took a step to a very important stage โฆ Itโs incredible.”
Colombia reached the #FIFAWWC Quarter-Finals for the first time courtesy of a 1-0 win over Jamaica! ๐จ๐ด@FCFSeleccionCol | #BeyondGreatness
โ FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 8, 2023
“I believe this moment is unique for Colombian womenโs football history, for South America,” Colombia’s head coach Nelson Abadรญa told FIFA.
“Equally, this is the triumph of a human group that has worked hard to achieve consistency, to have a trade, character, personality โฆ and today, we played and won well.”
๐ธ ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐… ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐#PersiguiendoUnSueรฑo#TodosSomosColombia๐จ๐ด pic.twitter.com/bNTEQ4IaKZ
โ Selecciรณn Colombia (@FCFSeleccionCol) August 8, 2023
At the final whistle of the referee Columbia have made done it and reach their first-ever Women’s World Cup quarter-final. There are wild scenes of celebration in Melbourne was done after the win
England await Colombia
A terrific win for Colombia. They really had to work for that victory against a stubborn Jamaica side.
Now, Theyโll face England in Sydney on Saturday for a place in the semi-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.