A sublime Catalina Usme goal saw Colombia beat Jamaica 1-0 to reach their first Women’s World Cup quarter-final, where they will face England on Saturday.
Neither side were predicted to reach the last 16, but more than matched up against tournament favourites in the group stages to set up an intriguing tie in Melbourne.
However, the opening 45 minutes turned out to be an attritional affair, with multiple stoppages for injuries and fouls.
But the second half flowed far better once Colombia captain Usme (54) fired home after a sensational first touch. It was the only goal the Reggae Girlz had conceded at the World Cup.
Drew Spence went the closest to an equaliser for Jamaica while Leicy Santos hit the post late on. However, Colombia – who had previously only made it as far as the last 16 in 2015 – ultimately did not need another goal, reaching the last eight and setting up a showdown with the Lionesses in Sydney in four days’ time.
More to follow…
What’s next?
Colombia will play England in the quarter-finals on Saturday in Sydney. Kick-off is at 11.30am.
What is the schedule?
The round of 16 concludes on Tuesday ahead of the quarter-finals, which will be held in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane and Sydney, between August 11 and 12.
The first semi-final will then be played on August 15 in Auckland, with the other semi-final taking place on August 16 at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, which will then host the final on August 20.
A third-place play-off will be played the day before the final on August 19 in Brisbane.