History was going to be made whatever the result, with neither Jamaica nor Colombia having made the quarter-finals before and both having helped to send powerhouse sides home early in the group stage.
In the end it was Jamaica’s fairytale that was cut short and Colombia who will progress to the last eight for the first time thanks to a second-half goal from their captain, Catalina Usme.
In front of a fairly hostile crowd at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, the run of clean sheets for the Reggae Girlz was ended, their rock-solid defence that had so steadfastly taken the sting out of Brazil’s attack in the group game finally cracked.
It was a physical first half punctuated by fouls and stoppages, as the two teams struggled to maintain a hold on the flow of play.
There were glimpses of Jamaica’s counterattacking power early in the first half as their captain, Khadija Shaw, combined well with Drew Spence and Jody Brown, but they could not connect well enough in the final third for it to count.
Powered on by the deafening noise of their fans, Colombia cranked up the heat after the first 25 minutes, seeking to threaten Becky Spencer’s record as the only goalkeeper not to have conceded this tournament.
The first chants of “Linda” rang around the stadium in the 30th minute when, with a short corner from Usme, Linda Caicedo turned on the spot and got a shot on target only for it to be headed clear. Two yellow cards for Jamaica towards the end of the half were indicative of their frustration at dealing with the incessant attacks from Colombia.
The break proved to be a turning point with both teams returning to the pitch with renewed vigour. It did not take long for a breakthrough for Colombia, rewarded for their increased energy.
A beautiful cross from the World Cup debutant Ana Guzmán found Usme unmarked in the area. She took one delightful touch to control and the second to stroke a left-footed shot past Spencer.
As Colombia celebrated and a roar echoed around the stadium, a lone pitch invader approached the goalkeeper Catalina Pérez at the other end but was quickly swarmed by security.
Jamaica launched forward in response to the goal and a free-kick from Deneisha Blackwood eventually found Brown, but her header from close range hit the base of the post. A few minutes later Spence fired off a shot from outside the area which Pérez scooped up with ease.
Caicedo, the talented 18-year-old, nearly pulled off a carbon copy of her stunning goal against Germany, controlling the ball effortlessly at her feet inside the penalty box but this time sending her effort high and wide.
As the second half drew to a close the Colombia players raised their arms encouraging their supporters to make even more noise. When the final whistle blew the crowd of 27,706 erupted, yellow, red and blue flags waved in every corner of the stadium.
One World cup dream may have ended, but Colombia’s will continue for at least one more game – when they face England in the quarter-final in Sydney on Saturday.
