Colombia's Linda Caicedo Shines with Sensational Goal on Debut at Women's World Cup, Leaving South Korea Stunned
Colombia's Linda Caicedo shines on her Women's World Cup debut, scoring a remarkable goal as her team triumphs 2-0 against South Korea in Sydney A cancer survivor, Caicedo's inspiring performance leaves a lasting impression on the tournament
Colombian cancer survivor Linda Caicedo made her debut at the Women's World Cup and scored a goal as her team defeated South Korea 2-0 on Tuesday. Playing as a forward for Real Madrid, Caicedo, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 15, confidently struck the ball into the net for Colombia's second goal. In a moment of triumph, she joyfully sprinted towards the cheering Colombian fans at the Sydney Football Stadium.
The 18-year-old Caicedo further enhanced her reputation as one of the game's rising stars with her goal and performance as Colombia made a winning start to the tournament.
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Colombia's Catalina Usme (left) celebrates with team-mates after scoring a penalty against South Korea
Colombia took the lead in the 30th minute with a penalty, as Shim Seo-yeon handled a goal-bound effort from Manuela Vanegas in the area. Catalina Usme successfully converted the penalty by sending South Korean goalkeeper Yoon Young-geul the wrong way. Caicedo then scored at the end of a darting run from midfield, cutting in from the left and curling a shot from the edge of the box. Yoon misjudged the shot and fumbled it into the net. South Korea's Lee Geum-min almost pulled a goal back, but her shot was denied by a flying save from Catalina Perez.
In a historic moment, 16-year-old Casey Phair made her mark as the youngest player ever in the Women's World Cup. However, her late entry as a substitute for South Korea came too late to make a significant impact. As a result, Colombia now sits in second place in Group H, with Germany leading the pack after a dominating 6-0 victory over Morocco on Monday.
South Korea and Morocco will face off in Adelaide on Sunday, both aiming to keep their hopes alive of advancing to the knockout stages. Later that day, Colombia will go head-to-head with Germany in Sydney.
What is the schedule?
The two-week long group stage, which commenced recently, will come to an end on August 3. Teams that emerge as winners or runners-up in their respective groups will progress to the round of 16 scheduled from August 5 to August 8.The quarter-finals are set to take place on August 11 and 12 in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane, and Sydney. Following that, the first semi-final will be held on August 15 in Auckland, while the second semi-final will be held on August 16 at the Accor Stadium in Sydney. The final match will also be held at the Accor Stadium on August 20.
A third-place play-off will be played the day before the final on August 19 in Brisbane.
