Colombia cruise to three points in group stage opener against South Korea
South Korea created the first scoring opportunity when Choe Yu-Ri tested the opposing goalkeeper from 15 yards out, but Catalina Pérez comfortably blocked the attempt. The intensity increased as the match progressed, with Caicedo and Ji-So Yun both playing prominent roles for their respective nations.
The deadlock was broken around the half-hour mark after Colombia were awarded a penalty following a handball in the box. Usme converted when sending Young-Geul Yoon the wrong way, increasing her legend as the all-time scoring leader for Colombia and has now scored 39 goals for her nation.
South Korea struggled to recover from the blow, and while they attempted to move forward in possession, their lack of ideas in the final third was alarming.
Colombia looked absolutely in control, and a second goal quickly followed, and it came through none other than Caicedo, who was lightning quick on the left flank and released a shot on target, but Yoon committed a colossal blunder, allowing the ball to go through her.
Colombia didn’t slow things down in the second half, and even though South Korea attempted to change things up, playing higher up the pitch, Las Cafeteras only needed a few minutes to establish the tempo and win the midfield battle.
The chances were scarce, but the dominance was noticeable for Colombia, as they could’ve easily added a third goal, but the likes of Caicedo and Mayra Ramírez could not convert their chances.
Despite being two goals down, the South Koreans failed to pose any kind of threat of a comeback, and instead, the biggest moment in the second half was the fact that Casey Pheir established a new record by becoming the youngest player ever to appear in a women’s World Cup.
Colombia closed the game out comfortably and took a huge step toward potentially earning a spot in the Round of 16. As for South Korea, they looked brutally disappointing, and they’ll need to improve drastically to even have a shot at earning points in their two remaining games.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Linda Caicedo (Colombia)
