MIAMI, Florida – The Jamaican Women’s National Team’s epic run in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup came to an end on Tuesday evening at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, with a narrow 1-0 defeat against Colombia in the Round of 16.
The Reggae Girlz wrote their name into the history books once again, as it was the first time that a Caribbean team had reached the Round of 16 stage of a Women’s World Cup.
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The Caribbean side had the first chance of the evening in the 3’ from the boots of FW Jody Brown, who received a long ball from captain Khadija Shaw, but the shot went over the crossbar.
Las Cafeteras tried to shake the game open in the 15’ with their first attempt on goal through MF Diana Ospina, however, the ball ended up in the arms of Jamaica GK Rebecca Spencer.
The second half started on a high note for the South Americans, as they broke Jamaica’s run of clean sheets in Australia/New Zealand 2023 in the 51’. Captain Catalina Usme controlled a diagonal ball from DF Ana Guzman, taking one touch to fire toward goal and beat Spencer, scoring the first goal of the evening.
After 320 minutes, Jamaica had conceded their first goal of the tournament.
The Reggae Girlz almost evened things out just minutes later in the 54’ from a corner kick thanks to Brown, who won the ball but hit the post.
MF Drew Spence tried to be the game-changer in the 82’ for Jamaica, going for a header after a corner kick, reaching a cross that came her way, the ball just going wide from the post.
Jamaica kept trying to pull level, breaking the lines of Colombia’s defense and getting to the goal area, but it wasn’t enough, the game ending in a 1-0 victory for Colombia, ending the run of the first Caribbean nation to reach this stage in a Women’s World Cup.
