August 7, 2023 Colombia makes history with Jamaica win, France dominates Morocco 4-0

Colombia reached the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in the country’s history after a tense 1-0 victory over Jamaica in Melbourne, while France confidently knocked out Morocco to reach the last eight.

Catalina Usme brilliantly scored the winner for Colombia and, in the process, became the first player in this tournament to break Jamaica’s stubborn defense.

The Colombians’ reward is a last-eight tie against reigning European champion and ranked 4th in the world England in Sydney on Saturday, a match the South American team has the talent to win despite there being 21 places between the two sides in the world rankings.

France’s 4-0 victory over Morocco, a team that had reached the last 16 in its tournament debut, earns Les Bleues a last-eight tie against co-host Australia on Saturday.

Read more about today’s round-of-16 matches at the Women’s World Cup here.

The full-time whistle blows in Adelaide and it’s a comfortable 4-0 victory for France.

This game was all but over inside the first 25 minutes. Goals from Kadidiatou Diani, Kenza Dali and Eugénie Le Sommer gave Les Bleues a commanding first-half lead before Le Sommer scored her second with 20 minutes remaining.

But what a first Women’s World Cup this has been for Morocco, reaching the knockout stages on its tournament debut and defying its lowly ranking of No. 72 in the world.

It’s France, though, which will meet co-host Australia in the final eight. These are the quarterfinals scheduled for Friday and Saturday this week:

That goal has surely secured France’s place in the quarterfinals.

After a quiet second half, Eugénie Le Sommer gets her second of the game with a back-post header on 70 minutes.

Les Bleues are cruising, Morocco heading for a comprehensive defeat.

France’s third goal before the break all but ended this match as a contest.

Morocco showed a bit of potential shortly after the restart, but it just doesn’t have the quality in the final third to test France today.

You’d imagine the French players have one eye on the quarterfinal against Australia because they are not pushing themselves to their usual limit.

This second half certainly isn’t one for the neutrals and both teams seem content to watch the clock tick by.

Morocco makes three changes to try and inject some energy into proceedings, but nothing seems to be working quite yet.

A little more than 20 minutes left of regulation time.

That would have been a tough half-time team talk for Morocco manager Reynald Pedros.

His side is 3-0 down in one of the most one-sided games of the tournament so far.

Morocco, which made history after making it into the last-16, will have to find nothing short of a miracle to get anything out of this game.

Perhaps, its only hope is that France will take its foot off the gas in preparation for the next round. Even then, things are looking difficult for the Atlas Lionesses.

It’s half-time and the Atlas Lionesses have a mountain to climb.

Goals from Kadidiatou Diani, Kenza Dali and Eugénie Le Sommer have put France firmly in control of this round-of-16 game against Morocco.

A quarterfinal against co-host Australia is within reach for Les Bleues, while Morocco, making its World Cup debut let’s not forget, needs a second-half miracle.

Lauren James has apologized for the incident which saw her receive a red card in England’s penalty shootout win against Nigeria on Monday.

The 21-year-old was having an outstanding breakthrough tournament, but was sent off in the last-16 clash after stamping on opponent Michelle Alozie.

The petulant moment will see James banned for at least one match. A FIFA disciplinary panel will review the incident and the punishment could be upgraded to multiple games.

On Tuesday, James apologized to Alozie after the Nigeria star said she respected the young attacker.

“All my love and respect to you. I am sorry for what happened,” James wrote on X (formerly Twitter), replying to Alozie’s post.
“Also, for our England fans and my team-mates, playing with and for you is my greatest honour and I promise to learn from my experience.”

The England team has also come out in support of its star.

In a statement Tuesday, the Lionesses said they would wait to hear FIFA’s decision on the length of James’ ban before providing any more comment.

“Lauren is really sorry for her actions which led to the red card and is full of remorse. It is wholly out of character for her,” England said in a statement on X.
“We will be supporting Lauren throughout and will be putting forward representation on her behalf.
“We fully respect FIFA’s disciplinary process and will not be making any further comment until after any decision has been made.”

Another goal for France in quick succession.

We always knew this could be a one-sided match, but the game is all but over after less than 25 minutes.

This time, it was Eugénie Le Sommer. It’s poor defending by Morocco and an attempted clearance gets deflected into the striker’s path. Le Sommer’s finish past the goalkeeper was ruthless.

Morocco has a long time now to avoid this becoming a humiliation.

France is flying here and goes 2-0 up inside the first 20 minutes through Kenza Dali.

The build-up play is fantastic from Les Bleues as Diani goes from goalscorer to provider, picking out Dali on the edge of Morocco’s area.

The midfielder produces a neat finish off the post to double France’s lead.

That’s the start many would have expected.

France entered this game as the heavy favorite and now has the goal to show why, going 1-0 up inside the first 15 minutes through Kadidiatou Diani’s header.

Sakina Karchaoui plays a lovely cross into the heart of Morocco’s box and Diani does well to stoop down and get her head to the ball.

It’s Diani’s fourth goal in the last two games and she’s now one behind Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa in the race for the Golden Boot.

Jamaica may have lost its knockout game against Colombia earlier today, but it won the respect of the country’s greatest ever athlete.

Eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, writing on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), said the team “made us all proud.”

The Reggae Girlz defeated Panama and tied against France and Brazil on the way to reaching the last-16 for the first time in history.

The anthems have been sung and the first half has now kicked off in Adelaide.

This year’s Women’s World Cup has been a tournament of upsets so far and Morocco will hope to stage another surprising result by beating the European powerhouse.

The Atlas Lionesses are bidding for history, while their opponent will want to start stamping its authority on this World Cup.

All to play for and a fascinating 90 minutes, at least, awaits.

The last round-of-16 match at this year’s tournament will see France play Morocco in Adelaide.

The Moroccans will be looking to win their first knockout game at a Women’s World Cup, while the French will look to use their experience to keep their title dreams alive.

The winner earns a ticket to the quarterfinals where it will play co-host Australia.

France starting 11:

Goalkeeper: Pauline Peyraud-Magnin

Defense: Wendie Renard, Élisa De Almeida, Sakina Karchaoui, Ève Périsset

Midfield: Sandie Toletti, Grace Geyoro, Selma Bacha, Kenza Dali

Forwards: Eugénie Le Sommer, Kadidiatou Diani

Morocco starting 11:

Goalkeeper: Khadija Er-Rmichi

Defense: Zineb Redouani, Nouhaila Benzina, Nesryne El Chad, Hanane Aït El Haj

Midfield: Élodie Nakkach, Ghizlane Chebbak, Fatima Tagnaout, Sakina Ouzraoui

Forwards: Ibtissam Jraïdi, Anissa Lahmari

Colombia’s 1-0 victory against Jamaica earned the country a place in the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup for the first time.

The hard-fought win against a difficult Jamaica team means Las Cafeteras continue to fly the flag for South American football after early exits for Brazil and Argentina.

“I believe this moment is unique for Colombian women’s football history, for South America,” Colombia’s head coach Nelson Abadía told FIFA.

“Equally, this is the triumph of a human group that has worked hard to achieve consistency, to have a trade, character, personality … and today, we played and won well.”

Barring Morocco, which faces France in the final round-of-16 game, Colombia is the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition.

But after victories against South Korea, Germany, and now Jamaica, it will be undaunted by the prospect of facing European champion England in the quarterfinals.

“So many things are going through my head that I can’t describe what I am feeling because it’s a lot of years of work, years of fighting, of everything … of falling and then getting back up,” goalscorer Catalina Usme told FIFA.

“Today, we took a step to a very important stage … It’s incredible.”

Ghizlane Chebbak was shocked when she picked up the phone and was greeted by Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco.

When the call came, it was just hours after Morocco’s defeat by South Africa in the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final. Captain of the Morocco women’s national team, Chebbak could only watch her opposing captain lift the trophy and then had to be taken to the stage to be given the player of the tournament award.

“[King Mohammed VI] said he was so proud of the team, don’t cry, we’re happy for you,” Khadija Illa, who is president of the National Women’s Football League, told CNN after the match.

It was a high point of Chebbak’s winding career, one that now inspires countless girls across the Arab and Muslim worlds.

Read more here.

The Women’s World Cup’s final last-16 game sees Group F winner France take on Group H runner-up Morocco.

Morocco is the only one of the eight Women’s World Cup debutants at this tournament to have qualified for the knockout stage, becoming the first Arab nation to have achieved the feat.

Two 1-0 victories for the Atlas Lionesses saw them through to the last 16, setting up the monumental task of a clash against France.

Les Bleues have looked one of the best teams at the competition, improving as the tournament has gone on; they finished their group campaign with a 6-3 thumping of Panama.

The victory confirmed France’s spot in the knockout phases for the fourth Women’s World Cup in a row and with a team full of top-level talent, will be looking to finally get over the hump and win the trophy for the first time in its history.

The winner of France vs Morocco will face Australia in the quarterfinals.

Full-time in Melbourne and it’s history for Colombia — a first ever quarterfinal at the Women’s World Cup.

Finally, Jamaica’s rear-guard has been broken, conceding for the first time this tournament through Catalina Usme’s second-half strike.

The Reggae Girlz have enjoyed a fairytale run over the past two-and-a-half weeks, progressing to knockout stages for the first time ahead of Brazil.

The recent history of this team — which features a fundraising campaign and the support of Bob Marley’s daughter — has captured the imagination of neutral fans, but Jamaica’s tournament ends with a 1-0 defeat here.

As for Las Cafeteras, they fully deserved their victory today, becoming only the second South American nation to win a Women’s World Cup knockout game after Brazil.

European champion England now awaits in the final eight on Saturday.

The game has opened up now and Colombia almost takes a 2-0 lead.

Leicy Santos met a cross at the back post, but her header hit the woodwork before bouncing back out in the 86th minute.

A brilliant attempt but just directed fractionally too wide. The goalkeeper was truly beaten.

Jamaica, which is starting to create more chances now, doesn’t have long left to find an equalizer.

That goal was exactly what this game needed.

It’s really opened up now as Jody Brown has a fantastic scoring opportunity for Jamaica at the back post but can’t quite get the ball under control.

Colombia then launches an attack of its own and Linda Caicedo is put through on goal. Her shot is saved by Becky Spencer, but it makes little difference as she was later ruled offside anyway.

Jamaica has only scored once (against Panama) so far this tournament and now desperately needs a goal to reach the quarterfinals.

This game has come to life in Melbourne.

We have lift off in Melbourne, as Colombia takes a 1-0 lead.

Catalina Usme is the scorer and the striker does well to bring a cross under control before firing her shot into the corner of the net in the 51st minute.

It’s also the first time Jamaica has conceded at this tournament.

This game needed a goal and, now, it finally has one.

The second half starts and both teams are still in search of the breakthrough.

Colombia looked far more likely to score the opener before the break, but Jamaica survived a few threatening moments.

Legs will begin to tire in the second half, though, which will likely lead to more chances for both squads.

If neither side can score that all-important winner, the game will head into 30 minutes of extra-time, before the dreaded possibility of penalties.

Still all to play for in Melbourne, with a quarterfinal against England awaiting the winner.

Hours after the United States crashed out of the Women’s World Cup, former US President Donald Trump seized the opportunity to blame the loss on star player Megan Rapinoe and the country’s “woke” path under President Joe Biden.

On his social media platform, “Truth Social,” Trump wrote: “The ‘shocking and totally unexpected’ loss by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team to Sweden is fully emblematic of what is happening to the our once great Nation under Crooked Joe Biden. Many of our players were openly hostile to America - No other country behaved in such a manner, or even close. WOKE EQUALS FAILURE. Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!! MAGA.”

Other conservatives piled on following the team’s loss, suggesting the result was due to their values and perceived criticism of the US.

“I’m thrilled they lost,” said former Fox News host Megyn Kelly. “You don’t support America, I don’t support you.”

While Kelly did not specify how the US women’s soccer team does not support America, it’s possible she was referring to comments US forward Megan Rapinoe made following the team’s World Cup win in 2019.

At the time, Rapinoe told CNN, “Maybe America is great for a few people right now, but it’s not great for enough Americans in this world,” a reference to Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) slogan.

Though Kelly’s statements were broad, Trump’s post specifically called out Rapinoe for missing a penalty in Sunday’s game. While the soccer star was not the only US player to do so, she has a contentious history with the former president.

Ahead of the last Women’s World Cup in 2019, Rapinoe famously said she would not go “to the f***ing White House” if the team won the tournament, prompting ire from the then-President.

Read more here.

There’s no separating these two teams at half-time as the score remains 0-0 in Melbourne.

Colombia has looked the most dangerous in attack with five shots on goal, though nothing to really trouble Jamaica goalkeeper Becky Spencer so far.

Every game the Reggae Girlz have played this tournament has been goalless at the break, so it’s hardly surprising to see the same scoreline here.

It’s been a scrappy game so far. Will someone find a breakthrough in the second-half?

This game has picked up slightly and Colombia now looks the most likely to take the lead with a couple of dangerous crosses into Jamaica’s box.

The Reggae Girlz, however, are the only team not to concede a goal at the tournament so far having prevented France, Panama and Brazil from scoring in their group stage games.

That impeccable defensive record remains intact so far and goalkeeper Becky Spencer is wise to Colombia’s probing balls into the box.

Still 0-0 in Melbourne with half-time approaching.

Almost 23 minutes of the match have flown by in Melbourne, but there haven’t been many chances to speak of yet.

The game has yet to settle down, with both sides showing signs of nerves — natural given what is at stake.

Both Colombia’s Linda Caicedo and Jamaica’s Khadija Shaw have shown brief flashes of their talent, but both star players are being well marked by the opposition.

Let’s hope someone can produce a moment of magic soon to open up this last-16 clash.

The round-of-16 clash between Jamaica and Colombia has kicked off at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.

Neither of these teams has ever reached the quarterfinals of a Women’s World Cup: Colombia lost its only previous knockout game against the United States in 2015, while Jamaica is making its first appearance beyond the group stage.

There’s history on the line for both teams and plenty to play for over the next 90-or-more minutes.

Linda Caicedo signed for Real Madrid earlier this year and was already highly regarded before the Women’s World Cup got underway. But it’s safe to say the 18-year-old has exceeded almost every expectation.

Caicedo scored twice and inspired Colombia to two victories in the group stage, including a famous win against two-time world champion Germany.

It was in that game, early in the second half, when she produced one of the moments of the World Cup so far, picking the ball up in Germany’s box before jinking past two defenders and rifling a shot into the corner of the net.

It was a magical passage of play that underlined her potential to become one of the finest players in the women’s game.

Born in Candelaria in the west of Colombia, Caicedo attributes her exciting, slightly unorthodox style to playing street soccer as a child.

Aged 14, she made her professional debut for Colombian side América de Cali, finishing her first season as the league’s top scorer in her side’s title win before earning an international call-up just a few months later.

But at 15, Caicedo’s burgeoning career was put on hold when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer shortly after making her senior debut for the national side.

She underwent surgery and chemotherapy treatment and eventually returned to the sport two years later.

A key player for Colombia at this year’s World Cup, Caicedo will be looking to be at her mesmerizing best against Jamaica to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

You can read more about her life and career here.

Both teams upset the odds by making it through the group stages and now have a great chance to reach the World Cup quarterfinals.

Colombia’s Linda Caicedo has arguably been one of the best players at this year’s tournament and once again starts for her side.

She’ll look to outshine Jamaica’s more established star, Khadija Shaw, who aims to make yet more history for her nation.

Colombia starting 11:

Goalkeeper: Catalina Pérez

Defense: Daniela Arias, Ana Guzmán, Carolina Arias, Jorelyn Carabalí

Midfield: Diana Ospina García, Lorena Bedoya Durango, Mayra Ramírez, Leicy Santos, Linda Caicedo

Forward: Catalina Usme

Jamaica starting 11:

Goalkeeper: Rebecca Spencer

Defense: Chantelle Swaby, Deneisha Blackwood, Allyson Swaby, Tiernny Wiltshire

Midfield: Vyan Sampson, Drew Spence, Jody Brown, Trudi Carter

Forwards: Khadija Shaw, Kalyssa Van Zanten

Tuesday marks the final day of the round-of-16 at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup where we’ll learn the last two teams to advance to the quarterfinals

It’s been an exciting knockout round so far. On Sunday, the US team fell short in its quest for a third straight title, losing its first World Cup match in 12 years by way of a dramatic penalty shootout against Sweden.

In other round-of-16 action, England defeated Nigeria 4-2 on penalties to make the quarterfinals following a tense match, which saw the Lionesses go down to 10 players after Lauren James was sent off.

Australia eased to a 2-0 win over Denmark in Sydney, making the quarterfinals in front of over 75,500 fans. Matildas star Sam Kerr made her triumphant return from injury during the match.

Here are the six teams that have qualified for the quarterfinals so far:

A goalkeeper from southern California. A defender from Seattle. A forward from Washington DC.

These are just a few players on the Philippines’ team at this year’s Women’s World Cup — where 18 of the country’s 23-member squad were born in the United States.

And it’s not just the Philippines. Despite the early exit of the US team on Sunday, the influence the country has on other competing nations is clear, with dozens of players born or raised in America representing other teams including Haiti, Jamaica and more.

It’s a reflection of the global nature of the sport, with dual-nationality athletes increasingly hopping across borders to seek better career opportunities, or to connect with parts of their heritage.

But while US-born women soccer players have flowed outward, populating other countries’ teams, the opposite trend has been seen in the US men’s team, with an influx of athletes born or raised overseas.

At the men’s World Cup last year, the US team featured several prominent players with overseas ties, including Fulham defender Antonee Robinson, who was born in the United Kingdom; Netherlands-born Sergiño Dest, who plays for FC Barcelona; and, perhaps most notably, US-born forward Tim Weah, whose father — legendary former striker George Weah — captained Liberia before becoming the West African country’s President.

There are various factors behind this trend, experts say — but it mostly boils down to a massive gap in talent and performance between the US men’s and women’s teams.

The US women’s team has been historically dominant, winning four World Cups (and four Olympic gold medals). In contrast, since reaching the World Cup semi-finals at the inaugural tournament in 1930, the US men’s team have reached the quarter-finals just once and have never been serious contenders for the title.

This stark difference in performance means there’s an “inverse (path) of migration and citizenship options,” said Gijsbert Oonk, director of the Sport and Nation research program at Erasmus University Rotterdam, which focuses on the role of citizenship and migration within football and the Olympic Games.

Read the full story here.

Tuesday’s first game of the day sees two of the surprise packages of the tournament meet in Melbourne.

Colombia is into the knockout phase for just the second time in its history, while Jamaica is making its debut at this stage.

Behind the brilliance of 18-year-old sensation Linda Caicedo, Colombia became just the second South American team to win a group in Women’s World Cup history after Brazil.

It won its opening two group games and although it lost its last match to Morocco, Colombia has impressed with its attacking verve and the atmosphere its fans have brought.

Jamaica has also been one of the talking points of the tournament, knocking out Brazil — in the process, bringing an end to Marta’s legendary career — as it reached the knockout stages for the first time in its history.

The Reggae Girlz didn’t concede a goal in the group stage and will be relying on its defensive solidity if it has any hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals.

The winner of the game will face England in the last eight on Saturday.

It’s the final day of the round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Colombia takes on Jamaica in the first match (4 a.m. ET), and France goes up against Morocco (7 a.m. ET)

How to watch: In the US, matches will air on your local Fox channel. You can also stream games by signing in with your TV provider at foxsports.com or on the Fox Sports app. Telemundo and Peacock are providing Spanish-language coverage.

Seven Network and Optus Sport are broadcasting matches in Australia and the BBC and ITV have the rights in the United Kingdom.

A full breakdown of media rights holders in each country is available on the FIFA website.

Jamaica will play in its first knockout round match ever at the Women’s World Cup on Tuesday when they take on Colombia.

The Reggae Girlz earned their historic qualification to the knockouts with a gutsy draw against the mighty Brazil, which sent the Brazilians crashing out of the tournament.

After that match, Jamaica’s manager Lorne Donaldson called it a “war.”

Donaldson called the team’s knockout round qualification “one of the best feelings I’ve had in my life.” 

Colombia produced one of the most dramatic Women’s World Cup upsets, scoring in the last minute to beat two-time world champion Germany 2-1 last Sunday.

The South American side looked to have been denied a famous win after Alexandra Popp equalized for Germany from the penalty spot in the 89th minute, canceling out 18-year-old sensation Linda Caicedo’s wonderful opener at the start of the second half.

But, in the dying seconds, Manuela Vanegas scored with a brilliant header from a corner to spark frenzied celebrations inside the Sydney Football Stadium.

Despite losing the following match to Morocco, Colombia still finished top of Group H to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament.