At the risk of sounding arrogant, the Colombian National Team has played a 2023 Women’s World Cup in which, more than due to other people’s virtues, it has suffered due to its own mistakes.
In four games they have received only two scores, both with penalties involved: the first, against Germany, was a goal, and the second, against Morocco, was saved by Catalina Pérez, but missed on the rebound.
And that, far from being a coincidence, marks a trend: The national team, which this Saturday will face England in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, is a defensive fortress that has been the basis of all the attacking fireworks that have come afterwards.
Although it is the goals that give the classifications, and the one from Catalina Usme against Jamaica or the two from Linda Caicedo against Korea and Germany, they have been of such a quality that it is difficult to look the other way when choosing the figures, The reality is that if they were enough to ensure the points it is because there was total balance in their own goal.
Colombia’s defense explains their success
The key is given by the defenders themselves: “we are happy, proud, like I don’t believe them. Colombia is a strong team, we are all one, when we suffer we are all behind the line of the ball, even if it is from the top up, when we build and create the game we do the same. We trust what we do. Trusting in God, who makes everything possible”; assured Jorelyn Carabalí, the central defender who was pure enough against the fearsome Jamaican Shaw.
Against Jamaica, for the round of 16 in Melbourne, the subsequent quartet, who had a really bad time against Morocco, acknowledged the blow and adjusted their pieces in the crossover against the islanders, who arrived without a single goal against: the goalkeeper Catalina Pérez responded with solvency and, when it was necessary to neutralize Shaw, she did so with authority, flying to the posts, closing spaces, being, as she has been throughout the Cup, a true figure.
It is worth saying that it was always supported by an invulnerable later quartet, that Carabalí and Daniela Arias were two permanent ‘sweepers’ that prevented wear and tear from the beginning and that it was at the end, as expected because it was down on the scoreboard, that Jamaica worried albeit without luck.
Carolina Arias managed another game with a yellow card and the great novelty was Ana María Guzmán, the girl on the payroll, barely 18 years old and not even an ID, doing a job without major complications on the mark and even giving an assist.
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The numbers support her, as she does her teammates: against Jamaica, the statistics for duels won show that the Colombians registered 56 to 62 of their rivals and that possession was a rigorous 50 percent. full equality? Almost. But the key is that Colombia drew its goal in zeros.
Now another story is being written, another rival that doesn’t look like the latter… or is it? “It resembles Germany, smart, fast players,” Jorelyn said. “In a World Cup everything is resolved by details, they charge you a minimal advantage, each game is a chapter, what is played is different, a step to the semifinals”, added the center.
Indeed. The good thing is that the house is safe and that is enough guarantee. England will come, and ideally more will come, but today, now, Colombia boasts of its full-backs and rests on them.
Jenny Gamez
Special envoy of EL TIEMPO and Futbolred
Sydney (Australia)
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