Spain beat Colombia on penalties to reach semi-finals in Paris Olympics women’s football
World champion Spain fought back from 2-0 down and advanced to the semifinals of the Olympic women’s soccer tournament by beating Colombia in a penalty shootout on Saturday, August 4.
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Spain won 4-2 in the penalty shootout at Stade de Lyon, with Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati scoring the decisive spot kick.
Catalina Usme and Liana Salazar failed to score from the spot for Colombia, which had looked set to advance to the last four after taking a 2-0 lead through Mayra Ramirez and Leicy Santos.
Jenni Hermoso had sparked Spain’s second-half fightback and Irene Paredes forced the game to extra time with an equalizer in the seventh minute minute stoppage time.
Spain — playing in its first Olympics — will face either France or Brazil in the semifinals in Marseille on Tuesday and still has chance to complete a memorable double after winning the Women’s World Cup for the first time in Australia last year.
But for a long time Saturday, it looked like it was headed out of the tournament.
Ramirez fired Colombia into a 12th-minute lead — racing past Paredes and finishing clinically. Santos spun and curled in Colombia’s second in the 52nd to set up what looked like being one of the surprise results of the Olympics.
Hermoso’s goal in the 79th sparked the comeback and Paredes converted from close range to equalize deep into stoppage time.
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In the shootout, Usme’s weak penalty was saved by Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll. Salazar fired Colombia’s third spot kick over the bar.
All four of Spain’s penalties were successfully converted, with Bonmati sealing the win.
Colombia had led 2-0 when star player Linda Caicedo was injured and left the field on a stretcher in the 66th.