Women's World Cup: Colombia Stuns Germany

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Germany v Colombia: Group H - FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 30: Players of Colombia thank the fans after the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Group H match between Germany and Colombia at Sydney Football Stadium on July 30, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Zhizhao Wu/Getty Images )

The result is one of the most remarkable of the tournament so far.

Amid a day of chaos at the Women's World Cup, few results were more surprising that Colombia's 2-1 win over Germany. Both teams had won their first group match, meaning that a win in Sydney would put them firmly in control of Group H. While Colombia, ranked #25 in the world, is one of the best teams in South America and was coming off a 2-0 win over South Korea, it was hard to envision them coming away with a win against the #2 team in the world.

However, that's exactly what happened. Colombia took the lead in the 52nd minute thanks to 18-year-old superstar Linda Caicedo. The South American defense held firm right up until the dying moments of regular time. Catalina Pérez gave up a costly penalty in the 89th minute. With Alexandra Popp converting, it looked like a historic moment had been snatched from Colombia at the last possible second. However, seven minutes into stoppage time, Manuela Vanegas was able to connect with a Leicy Santos cross to give Las Cafeteras arguably their biggest win of all time.

Read More: Everything you need to know about the Women's World Cup

Colombia Win Sets Up Fascinating Final Day

Group H will be decided on August 3 when Colombia takes on Morocco and Germany faces South Korea. Colombia is all but qualified for the Round of 16 as it would take a 4-goal loss to see them fail to qualify. However, Morocco's historic 1-0 win over South Korea has made the group very interesting. The match against South Korea is now a must-win match for Germany. They are level on points with Morocco but hold a massive lead in goal difference. However, that means nothing if they can't beat the ailing South Koreans and Morocco is able to find a way past Colombia. In all likelihood, Colombia will win the group and Germany will finish second. However, today's results clearly show that anything is possible in this tournament.

Elsewhere, co-hosts New Zealand exited the tournament after the worst luck possible. They drew 0-0 with Switzerland, finishing the group stage on 4 points and a goal difference of zero. They needed Norway to beat the Philippines 1-0 to progress to the next round. Instead, the Norwegians, who have looked like a shadow of themselves all tournament, beat the Asian representatives 6-0 to leapfrog New Zealand and claim the runner-up spot in the group.

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About The Author
Benjamin Mock (they/them) is a sports and culture writer working out of Philadelphia. Previously writing for the likes of Fixture, Dexerto, Fragster, and Jaxon, Ben has dedicated themselves to engaging and accessible articles about sports, esports, and internet culture. With a love for the weirder stories, you never quite know what to expect from their work.