Women’s World Cup: France looks formidable, while Colombia reaches first quarterfinal

Colombia and France — two nations with vastly different track records of success at the women’s World Cup — each booked a place in the tournament’s quarterfinals Tuesday, as the round of 16 came to a close.

» READ MORE: Jamaica’s magical women’s World Cup run ends with optimism and the world’s respect

Before a frenzied crowd of 27,706 at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Colombia recorded a 1-0 victory over Jamaica, cementing its first trip to the tournament’s final eight. In the 51st minute, a perfect long ball from Ana Guzmán found Catalina Usme, who calmly finished into the bottom left corner of the net for the game’s lone score.

After failing to qualify for the last World Cup in 2019, Las Cafeteras are now headed to a quarterfinal meeting with England on Saturday.

Tuesday’s result marked the end of an inspired World Cup run for Jamaica, which amid a dispute with its national federation over support and resources, had to launch a GoFundMe campaign to help cover its tournament expenses. The Reggae Girlz held powerhouses France and Brazil to 0-0 draws during the group stage and defeated Panama on July 29 for their first-ever World Cup victory. Usme’s decisive goal in the round of 16 was the only score they conceded in four tournament games.

France followed with a 4-0 victory over tournament debutant Morocco to reach the quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive women’s World Cup. Les Blues, ranked fifth in FIFA’s world rankings, overwhelmed Morocco with three goals in the first 23 minutes. Kadidiatou Diani’s header in the 15th minute was her fourth goal of the tournament, one behind Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa in the race for the Golden Boot.

Kenza Dali clanged in a shot off the post in the 20th minute, while veteran striker Eugénie Le Sommer, France’s all-time leading scorer, added goals in the 23rd and 70th minutes. France will now face tournament cohost Australia in a quarterfinal clash of two of the top 10 teams in the world rankings.

Despite the loss, Morocco made history as the first majority Arab nation and first North African country to qualify for the women’s World Cup. After beginning the tournament with a 6-0 setback to Germany, the Atlas Lionesses rebounded with 1-0 victories over South Korea and Colombia to finish ahead of the world No. 2 Germans in Group H.

Colombia 1, Jamaica 0

France 4, Morocco 0

Le Sommer’s brace against Morocco raised the French forward’s career total in international competitions to 92 goals. The 34-year-old became the oldest player to score two goals in the knockout stage of a women’s World Cup.

Usme’s family watched from Colombia as the 33-year-old captain found the back of the net.

“If you ever come to one of our trainings or our locker room or whatever, it’s just music and dance,” Jamaican manager Lorne Donaldson said before Tuesday’s game, according to The Inquirer’s Jonathan Tannenwald. “That’s why we’re the Reggae Girlz.

“You might as well enjoy it. And when it’s over and done, you can remember and say, ‘I had a good time.’”

There are no games scheduled for Wednesday. The quarterfinals will begin on Thursday evening.

» READ MORE: The USWNT’s long era of success is over, but a new one could be on the horizon

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