A late comeback from World Cup winners Spain, saw the quarter final match result be decided by penalties on Saturday night.
Spain entered the quarter-final match as the favorites, having won all three of their group stage matches.
Colombia, despite narrowly securing their quarter-final place with only one win out of three matches, proved they were not to be underestimated, as seen in their World Cup performance.
Colombia took an early lead when Maya Ramírez, marking her return, broke through the Spanish defense and scored just 12 minutes in.
Despite trailing, Spain continued to dominate possession and create attacking opportunities but were unable to find the back of the net during the first half. Both teams had their chances, but the half ended with Colombia maintaining their 1-0 lead.
The second half began with Colombia once again finding the net. Leicy Santos capitalised on a rebound from Spain’s goalkeeper, Cata Coll, to make it 2-0.
Ramírez almost secured the win for Colombia in the 76th minute, weaving through the Spanish defence, but Coll managed to deflect the ball off her boot to deny the goal.
Spain’s comeback began just minutes later when Jenni Hermoso scored her 57th goal, catching Colombia out of position and mimicking Santos’ earlier goal.
Spain continued their relentless pressure, and Irene Paredes broke Colombia’s resistance again, leveling the score and dashing Colombia’s hopes of an easy entry into the semi-finals.
As extra time seemed inevitable, Colombia looked increasingly fatigued while Spain maintained their dominance, leaving fans wondering if Colombia could hold off Spain until penalties.
Penalty Shootout Results:
- Catalina Usme (Colombia) – SAVED
- Mariona (Spain) – SCORED
- Manuela Vanegas (Colombia) – SCORED
- Eva Navarro (Spain) – SCORED
- Liana Salazar (Colombia) – MISSED
- Salma Paralluelo (Spain) – SCORED
- Jocelyn Carabalí (Colombia) – MISSED
- Aitana Bonmatí (Spain) – SCORED
Spain triumphed in the shootout, advancing to the semi-finals where they will continue to compete for an Olympic Gold Medal. You can watch Spain in the semi-finals on Tuesday, August 6th at 8 PM.
Starting XIs
Spain: Cata Coll, Ona Batlle, Irene Paredes, Laia Aleixandri, Olga Carmona, Aitana Bonmatí, Patricia Guijarro, Alexia Putellas, Athenea Del Castillo, Salma Paralluelo, Mariona
Columbia: Katherine Tapia, Carolina Arias, Daniela Arias, Jorelyn Carabalí, Manuela Vanegas, Manuela Pavi, Catalina Usle, Leicy Santos, Marcela Restrepo, Linda Caicedo, Maya Ramírez
Featured image courtesy of PickPix. License details found here.
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