Las Cafeteras are making history, and setting their sights on even more. After starting their Olympic fútbol journey with a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat at the hands of France, Colombia rebounded for a 2-0 win over New Zealand to pick up three crucial points. The team now needs just one point to qualify for the quarterfinals. They play Canada on Wednesday (July 31) in the last game of Group A.
Goals by Marcela Restrepo and Leicy Santos, and an outstanding game by Real Madrid’s Linda Caicedo, were the difference for a Colombia team that controlled the ball at all points in the game. They failed to take advantage of multiple chances early on, but settled in afterward and managed to score goals in both halves.
Their next opponent, the reigning Olympic Champion Canada, has been rocked by a drone-spying scandal so far in the competition, with FIFA stripping them of 6 points and banning their coach for a year. But Colombia isn’t interested in the scandals of their opponents. They’re only interested in their own kind of positive history. They can make that happen with a win or a tie. That’s the focus.
Social media celebrated the historic win and the fact that they have “serious chances of qualifying for the next round.”
There was also a lot of love for the great game Caicedo played, with people calling the 19-year-old “a real livewire” and touting her numbers.
Caicedo was also a standout in last year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup, where she scored the best goal of the tournament. She also came in ninth on the women’s 2023 Ballon d’Or voting, making her the highest Latina celebrated. Brazil’s Debinha finished 28th.
All in all, it’s a huge achievement and it should be celebrated. And hopefully, it’s only the beginning at the 2024 Paris Olympics and beyond.