Usme leads Colombia to a 1-0 win over Jamaica and a spot in the Women's World Cup quarterfinals
Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Transcript
00:00 correspondent Rochelle Harrison-Pless is standing by.
00:03 So Rochelle, Colombia now facing European champions England in the next stage of the
00:09 competition.
00:10 How have the fans been reacting?
00:12 Just tell us what the atmosphere is like there.
00:18 Well I'm surrounded by hundreds of Colombia supporters here at the fan zone tonight who
00:22 are absolutely ecstatic that their team has won their match against Jamaica 1-0.
00:29 And making history in the process, this is the first time that Colombia have reached
00:35 a quarterfinal in the Women's World Cup.
00:38 Now it was a very physical battle and it was Colombia's Catalina Usme who scored the only
00:43 goal of the match during the 51st minute.
00:48 Colombia asserting authority over Jamaica's Reggae Girls, whom until now had not conceded
00:55 a goal during this entire tournament.
00:58 Now though, sadly, Jamaica go home and Colombia have a date with England in the quarterfinals
01:06 this Saturday right here in Sydney, Gatigal.
01:10 And Rochelle, all eyes here in France in any case will be turning to that other big game
01:15 of the day.
01:16 They will be taking on Morocco.
01:17 What are we expecting there?
01:23 Well on paper, France has the advantage.
01:25 This is a showdown between the world ranked number five against tournament debutants,
01:32 Morocco's Atlas Lyonesses.
01:34 But we have seen so many upsets this tournament so far.
01:38 Whether it's powerhouses like Germany, Olympic gold medalist Canada, or back-to-back champions
01:44 USA crashing out of the tournament, we've seen it all.
01:48 France were excellent against Brazil and Panama in the group stages, but Morocco are already
01:53 making history by being here and they really have nothing to lose.
01:57 On top of that, the Morocco coach, Reynald Pedros, knows the French team well.
02:03 He knows their strengths and weaknesses because he actually coached one of the top French
02:07 women's teams, Olympique Lyonnais, for two seasons.
02:12 And also many on the Morocco team hold dual French citizenship and several of them play
02:17 in the French league.
02:19 Now whoever wins tonight, their prize is a quarterfinal battle against tournament co-hosts
02:25 Australia.
02:26 But it will be a tough match as the Matildas are looking good.
02:30 They're on fine form.
02:31 They've got their captain and star striker Sam Kerr back from injury.
02:34 And we also can't underestimate the immense support and advantage of a home crowd.
02:40 Rochelle, thank you so much for that update.
02:42 That is our correspondent in Sydney, Rochelle Harrison-Plessis.