Colombia put on a strong display, achieving a 1-0 victory against a tough Jamaica side to reach the Quarter Finals of the World Cup for the first time. Usme carried Colombia to success with a goal in the 51st minute at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
Colombia played dominantly to warn Quarter Final opponents England that they will put up a fight. Despite only scoring one goal, Colombia had 11 shots in total and a number of strong chances for their young superstar Linda Caiceido.
Ahead of kick-off, Colombia made three changes to their starting line-up after their loss to Morocco, with Jamaica making two. Colombia were forced to swap Manuela Vanegas, who scored their winning goal against Germany, for 18-year-old debutante Ana Marie Guzman, due to Vanegas receiving two yellow cards in the group stage.
The two team's star forwards were the main talking point before the game. Jamaica's Bunny Shaw is known for breaking apart her opponent's defence, and Colombia's youngster Linda Caicedo had a brilliant World Cup so far, including having scored a stunning goal against Germany.
Both players performed well throughout the game, with Caiceido sprinting forward alone on many occasions, creating opportunities for Colombia when the Jamaican defence were not prepared, as well as battling one-on-one with Jamaica's goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer.
Shaw had a brilliant first half, showing why she is one of the WSL's best strikers. She created chance after chance, as well as receiving the ball in the box on many occasions, but failed to convert any of the opportunities into goals.
The game had a disruptive start, with three players going down within the first ten minutes.
Usme was fouled by Jamaica's Wiltshire and went down instantly, seemingly in a lot of pain, but she was able to continue a minute later. Ospina then went down after tackling Shaw, she momentarily received treatment but was soon back up for Colombia's free kick, which flew straight out of play. Shaw was the third player to go down in pain, after bumping into a defender, but she was quickly up and play was once again continued.
Colombia's first shot on target came from Garcia in the 16th minute, but it was too weak to cause any trouble for Spencer. Santos then looked to break on the 20 minute mark, but Van Santen stopped the chance. Ramirez quickly worked to reobtain possession, but Van Santen once again stops Colombia.
Three more stoppages came in the 22nd, 24th and 26th minute, with Jamaica's Wiltshire going down after a battle with Santos, Carter taking a ball to the face, and Colombia's Arias fouled by Carter. Both teams took these breaks in play as an opportunity to speak with their coaches.
Colombia had a string of chances in a row towards the end of the first half, however none of them resulted in a goal.
Santos whipped a magnificent cross into the box, but the chance was wasted as it was easily received by Jamaica's keeper Spencer.
A few moments later, Usme sent the ball into the box from a short corner, as Spencer provided a stunning save, punching the ball away to deny Colombia a goal. A great performance from Jamaica's goalkeeper.
Ramirez once again forced pressure upon the Jamaican defence, running past three players before eventually being tackled by Wiltshire, with the ball going out for a corner. Jamaica seemed to be lacking in defence, unable to cope with the constant pressure from Colombia's forwards.
The first yellow card was shown to Swaby for a foul on Ramirez, with her being hit on the face. However, the hit was light and unintentional, so a booking was quite a harsh decision. The resulting free kick was taken by Durango, but was cleared away by Brown.
Jamaica pressed forward before half time, with Van Zanten doing well to find Shaw. The Manchester City star failed to get a good touch, missing the opportunity.
Lack of communication between goalkeeper and defender led to an unnecessary Jamaica corner, as the ball was booted out of play by Colombia's Carabali, even though the keeper was there to receive.
This corner gave Jamaica their best chance of the first half. Carter curled the ball in, with it landing at Shaw's feet. Shaw's effort however was way off target.
Although Jamaica had more possession, Colombia showed a better performance in the first half. Both teams headed into half time goalless.
Jamaica made a change at half time, bringing off Van Zanten for Primus.
Colombia stuck to their starting XI, with their first change not being made until well into the second half.
Colombia were off to a brilliant start in the second half. With none of their shots in the first half managing to reach the back of the net, they finally broke the deadlock in the 51st minute, with Usme scoring the opening goal for the Colombian side that has been more dominant up front.
The goal was created by 18-year-old Guzman, who made her competitive debut in this game. Guzman provided a great pass from the left to an unguarded Usme in the box, who then blasted it past Spencer, putting Colombia ahead.
Jamaica kept their heads held high, pushing forward to try to level the score. The Reggae Girlz won a free kick in the 55th minute, taken by Blackwood, delivered straight into the box. The ball landed with Brown on the far post, but she failed to score.
Colombia immediately counter attacked whilst the Jamaican players were still in the Colombian box. Caiceido sprinted on her own towards the Jamaican keeper, a brilliant chance, but Spencer pressured her off the ball. Caiceido was off-side in the end, but the pressure was definitely felt by Jamaica.
Jamaica had a number of strong chances, but failed to reach the back of the net on numerous occasions. Colombia consistently forced Jamaica into poor touches towards the end of the second half, pressing high and defending well.
A free kick was granted to Jamaica in the 72nd minute after Shaw was fouled by Arias. Blackwood took the free kick before the referee had blown the whistle, with them too eager to equalise, forcing them to retake the set piece. It was a good delivery by Blackwood, but was collected by Colombia's keeper Perez, who smothered the ball.
A Colombian shot blocked by Swaby in the 87th minute led to a corner. Swaby did well to header the ball away, but it was flung back into the box, reaching the head of Santos, smacking the post. A very close chance for Colombia, with Santos being one of the stand-out players of this game.
The end of the second half consisted of continuous swaps in possession between both sides, with limited chances for either team. A few more fouls and throw-ins drew the game to a close, with Jamaica failing to convert any of their opportunities, causing them to exit the World Cup after a fantastic campaign.
Colombia should be proud of their performance today, and will have confidence heading into their Quarter Final game against European champions England on Saturday.
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