Colombia’s Catalina Usme ends Jamaica’s fairytale run in World Cup

Round of 16: Colombia 1 (Usme 52) Jamaica 0

History was going to be made whatever the result, with neither Jamaica or Colombia having ever made the quarter-finals before and both having helped send powerhouses home early from the group stage.

In the end it was Jamaica’s fairytale that was cut short and Colombia who will progress to the last eight for the first time thanks to a second-half goal from their captain, Catalina Usme.

In front of a fairly hostile crowd at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, the Reggae Girlz’ run of clean sheets was ended, their rock-solid defence that had so steadfastly taken the sting out of Brazil’s attack just days early, finally cracked.

It was a physical first half punctuated by fouls and stoppages, as the two teams struggled to maintain a hold on the flow of play.

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There were glimpses of Jamaica’s counterattacking power early in the first half, as captain Khadija Shaw combined well with Drew Spence and Jody Brown, but they could not connect well enough in the final third for it to count.

Powered on by the deafening noise of their fans, Colombia cranked up the heat after the first 25 minutes, seeking to threaten Becky Spencer’s record as the only goalkeeper not to have conceded this tournament.

The first chants of “Linda” rang around the stadium in the 30th minute when a short corner from Usme to Linda Caicedo saw her turn on the spot and get a shot on target only for it to be headed clear. Two yellow cards for Jamaica towards the end of the half were indicative of their frustration at dealing with the incessant attacks from Colombia.

The break proved to be a turning point with both teams returning to the pitch with renewed vigour. It didn’t take long for a breakthrough for Colombia, rewarded for their increased energy.

A beautiful cross from World Cup debutant Ana Guzmán found Usme unmarked in the area. She took one touch to control and the second to send it easily past Spencer. As Colombia celebrated and a roar echoed around the stadium, a lone pitch invader approached the goalkeeper Catalina Pérez at the other end, but was quickly swarmed by security.

Jamaica launched forward in response to the goal and a free-kick from Deneisha Blackwood eventually found Brown, but her header from close range hit the base of the post. A few minutes later Spence fired off a shot from outside the area which Pérez scooped up with ease.

Caicedo, the talented 18-year-old, nearly pulled off a carbon copy of her stunning goal against Germany - controlling the ball effortlessly at her feet inside the penalty box but this time sending the high and wide.

As the second half drew to a close the Colombian players raised their arms encouraging the crowd to make even more noise. When the final whistle blew the 27,706-strong crowd erupted, yellow, red and blue flags waved in every corner of the stadium.

One World cup dream may have ended, but Colombia’s will continue for at least one more game when they face England in the quarter-final in Sydney on Saturday.