Both Colombia and Jamaica were battling to advance to their first quarterfinal appearance in each of their nations' histories.
An early second half goal from Catalina Usme propelled Colombia to a 1-0 win over Jamaica in a tight and physical clash to continue their surprise run in the tournament.
It was the only goal that Jamaica conceded in the tournament, with Usme receiving a pass from deep outside of the box by Ana Guzmán. With Usme settling the ball down, she advanced from the right side, flying by Jamaican defender Deneisha Blackwood, and fired a bullet to bottom left corner.
Colombia's captain found the back of the net at the 51st minute at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, which was packed with Colombian fans, as they went into a frenzy on her 39th career, extending the nation's record for most goals on the international stage.
The match was filled with physical play left and right, with Jamaica's "Reggae Girlz" having countless chances on matching Las Chicas Superpoderosas, the nickname of Colombia's women's team which is a nod to the kids' superhero TV cartoon The Powerpuff Girls.
These two teams were going at it left and right, with Jamaican goalkeeper Becky Spencer getting tested on a Colombian cross from Usme at the 27th minute.
A miscommunication at the second minute of stoppage time in the first half between Colombia goalkeeper Catalina Pérez and Jorelyn Carabali almost led to an own goal, with Pérez unsure whether to step up and get the ball before it was booted out for a corner.
Linda Caicedo was mostly kept quiet on the left side of the field, though she had room to operate at the left side of the box at the 65th minute, as she created enough space when cutting to the right of Allyson Swaby to fire a shot, but it went high.
Jamaica came close to tying the game at the 82nd minute, with Drew Spence knocking a header wide of the net while she was parked in the box, receiving a cross from substitute Tiffany Cameron.
Colombia, on the other way, had a shot go off the right post. Leicy Santos fired a header from the box off a cross that seemed to look like they were going to be the insurance marker four minutes after Jamaica's wide shot.
Jamaica put on a full press in the final minutes of the game, pressuring Colombia left and right, but it was Colombia answering the call with Pérez stopping a header from Atlanta Primus, and jumping on the ball, preventing Kameron Simmonds from getting a shot off.
Referee Kate Jacewicz was irritated by Jamaica's physicality, handing out two yellow cards in five minutes to defender Chantelle Swaby and midfielder Drew Spence, with the former poking Colombia's Mayra Ramírez along the sideline when contesting a ball, minutes before halftime.
And physicality, as mentioned earlier, was the name of the game, given that it was a tense affair from start to finish, with play constantly being blown dead because of small fouls, especially in the first half.
Though it was Colombia coming out on top, and they advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in their country's history to take on European giant England on August 12th, 2023, at 6:30 AM EDT. FOX will have the broadcast for American audiences, TSN for Canadian audiences, and Televisa for Mexican audiences.
Scoring
Colombia, 51': Catalina Usme [2], left foot shot from center of the box to bottom left corner, assisted by Ana Guzmán [1]. 1-0 Colombia
Substitutions
Jamaica, 45': Atlanta Primus replaces Kiki van Zanten.
Jamaica, 47': Tiffany Cameron replaces Trudi Carter.
Jamaica, 79': Peyton McNamara replaces Vyan Sampson.
Jamaica, 84': Cheyna Matthews replaces Tiernny Wiltshire.
Jamaica, 84': Kameron Simmonds replaces Jody Brown.
Colombia, 87': Daniela Montoya replaces Leicy Santos.
Colombis, 90'+3': Marcela Restrepo replaces Catalina Usme.
Disciplinary
Jamaica, 41': Chantelle Swaby is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Jamaica, 45'+1': Drew Spence is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Colombia, 70': Daniela Árias is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Team Stats
Possession: Colombia 51% advantage
Shots: Colombia 11, Jamaica 6
On Target: Colombia 3, Jamaica 2
Fouls: Colombia 6, Jamaica 8
Yellow Cards: Colombia 1, Jamaica 2
Red Cards: Colombia 0, Jamaica 0
Offsides: Colombia 3, Jamaica 2
Corner Kicks: Colombia 7, Jamaica 3
Saves: Colombia 2, Jamaica 2
Miscellaneous
Venue: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium (AAMI Park)
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Attendance: 27,706 (Capacity: 30,050)
Referee: Kate Jacewicz (Australia)
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