Women’s World Cup Liveblog: Colombia vs. England, Quarter-Finals, August 12

 

Aboriginal rock carving, Grotto Point, Sydney Harbour National Park, Sydney
(Kodachrome slide scanned at 6400)
Photography attributed to Sardaka, ca. 1987
Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

12:42 p.m. (Central European Summer Time)

Today, women's soccer fans have already been treated to a suspenseful quarter-final between Australia and France. In the end, after the longest penalty shot phase in this World Cup and fewer than 30 minutes before the next quarter-final, Australia won 7-6.

So Colombia and England are contending to meet the World Cup co-host in the semi-finals in the middle of next week.

Its fans are numerously represented in the stadium in Sydney — the city of over 5 million inhabitants, known as Wangal in the region's Aboriginal language. You may recognize the fans by their yellow t-shirts — and their energetic boos whenever England's team has possession of the ball.

12:44 p.m.

I missed it while typing the last update, but one of Colombia's players has already had to leave the field due to injury. Carolina Arias has been substituted out, Ana Guzman is in.

12:50 p.m.

England's team is looking incredibly fit and their reflexes quick. There's not so a perceptible height difference between the two teams as in other matches, but physically I'd say that Colombia's players — while diligent — are looking marginally slower. Of course this is subjective. Besides it may change in the second half of the game: it's important to pace one's self.

There was loud booing again as Alex Greenwood and other players were passing back and forth to each other in England's half. Now the game has opened up again.

12:54 p.m.

Guzman appears to ignore the ball and to ram her hand into an English player's face, besides body-checking her. Rachel Daly is crouching, clutching her face in pain. No foul, apparently? After talking to two physiotherapists, Daly is playing again.

1:01 p.m.

So far England has had 69% of the ball possession, Colombia 31%, roughly speaking.

Definitely a more eventful game than Japan vs. Sweden yesterday. It's riskier to take one's eyes off the match: steep chances of missing something.

1:15 p.m. ⚽

In another exchange in England's half, which did not look especially dangerous, Leicy Santos hits a long ball into the top of the net. England's goalkeeper stretches out her arm, but doesn't manage to block it and it bounces down again behind the goal line. Colombia 1 - England 0.

1:23 p.m. ⚽

In the added time of 6 minutes, Colombia's players stayed firmly in their own half, trying to prevent England from scoring a counter-goal rather than scoring a second goal of their own.

But their strategy failed after the 7th minute arrived. Goalie Catalina Perez accidentally let go a ball that she had captured in front of her goal, and two of England's players kept it in play, Lauren Hemp rolling it into the net. 1-1. Quite a messy goal, but effective.

End of the first half.

1:45 p.m.

Second half underway again, several corner kicks from England result in no goals. But they are definitely seeing more chances.

1:50 p.m.

More statistics shown on screen: 343 (England) to 151 (Colombia) passes completed.

1:53 p.m.

Loud boos as England prepares to take a free kick. Hemp fires it from nearly at the end line to the front of the net. No goal.

Goalie Catalina Perez is being attended to by medical staff — it’s not clear why.

But now the game has started again.

1:57 p.m. ⚽

Two of England's players manage to run toward the goal together. Alessia Russo finds a makeshift opening and practically rolls it into the net. Colombia 1 - England 2.

1:59 p.m.

Goalie Perez is escorted off the field as the physiotherapists and fellow players look concerned; it seems her eyesight is faltering? Natalia Giraldo will be substituted in.

2:07 p.m.

Lorena Durango almost sinks a strong long-distance goal for Colombia. But England's goalkeeper Mary Earps takes a flying leap and deflects the ball up over the net.

It looks like with Perez's substitution, Colombian players are newly intensely focused on getting another goal. Maybe less certain that the score will remain roughly even.

...And Natalia Giraldo makes her first save.

2:09 p.m.

Both teams are showing their quality and highly justifying their presence in the quarter-finals, I'd say. Not an entirely clean game, but it's good technically and in terms of its energy and of its variety of strategies and skills. No tedious deadlock.

2:11 p.m.

Substitution: Ospina Garcia off, Ivonne Chacon on, for Colombia.

2:18 p.m.

Another player - Chloe Kelly - getting ready on England’s bench.

Daniela Arias is lying on the ground; it looks like she wasn't fouled, though. Physiotherapists have come over.

Alessia Russo, one of England's goalscorers, is substituted off for Kelly in the meantime.

2:21 p.m.

Corner kick for Colombia as Mary Earps captures a ball that had whizzed diagonally to near the net. It doesn’t result in a goal.

2:22 p.m.

Two England players body-sandwich a Colombian player = apparently not a foul.

2:24 p.m.

Eight minutes of added time.

2:26 p.m.

Bethany England is substituted in. Lauren Hemp goes out.

2:29 p.m.

In the 6th minute, Mayra Ramirez fires a ball — past England's goal, but narrowly.

2:32 p.m.

End of game: Colombia still had a few chances, but it wasn't enough for a 2:2. England will be playing Australia in the semi-finals.