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María Catalina Usme Pineda (born 25 December 1989), known as Catalina Usme, is a Colombian footballer who plays as a forward for Liga MX Femenil club Pachuca and the Colombia women's national team.
- Overview
- How Colombia beat Jamaica
- Abadia: It's better to make history than to tell it
- Donaldson: Jamaica players gave everything
- What's next?
A sublime Catalina Usme goal saw Colombia beat Jamaica 1-0 to reach their first Women's World Cup quarter-final, where they will face England on Saturday.
Neither side were predicted to reach the last 16, but more than matched up against tournament favourites in the group stages to set up an intriguing tie in Melbourne.
However, the opening 45 minutes turned out to be an attritional affair, with multiple stoppages for injuries and fouls.
But the second half flowed far better once Colombia captain Usme (54) fired home after a sensational first touch. It was the only goal the Reggae Girlz had conceded at the World Cup.
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Image: Usme scored after a fine first touch
It was a stop-start, nerve-jangling opening half-hour in Melbourne, with very few chances. Colombia went closest - Diana Ospina's weak shot went straight at Becky Spencer, before a Usme cross into the area missed the run of Leicy Santos, only to be collected by the Jamaica goalkeeper.
Colombia head coach Nelson Abadia:
"When we qualified for the World Cup, the first thing I said to my team is that we are not here just to spend some time - we want to make history and it is better to make history than to tell history.
"We have consolidated a very strong group, both for the technical staff and for the players. We brought the 23 best players from our country, and we know how mature, how good they are."
On facing England in the quarter-finals, he said: "Because of their football and their history, we need to be careful, we need to be cautious.
"But in football we have already seen that the gaps between teams have been closing down and Colombia have been proven to be a solid team and we have been able to work on different circumstances. Slowly during the tournament, Colombia have been able to find our strengths thanks to the hard work the players are putting in.
"England are one of the favourites, that goes without saying. They are the European champions, but we also faced Germany. They were the second favourites, the second best worldwide, but we were wise enough.
Jamaica manager Lorne Donaldson:
"First of all, just give Colombia credit. They were better than us tonight.
"Coming in with no games... I feel very happy for the players that they could perform at this level without getting adequate games to play. So I am very pleased with them. And you know what? They gave it everything tonight.
"We weren't very, very good tonight, but that's football and they should be proud of themselves, and I'm very proud of them."
On what he hopes young girls in Jamaica will take away from watch the Reggae Girlz, he said: "It's something we hope goes well. Cedella Marley currently has a programme in Jamaica that she's running.
"It's a very good programme for young girls and hopefully now we can get more young ladies involved.
Colombia will play England in the quarter-finals on Saturday in Sydney. Kick-off is at 11.30am.
Aug 11, 2023 · Everyone talks about her: Catalina Usme is the star of the Colombian Women's National Team. Cata Usme, as some media have already called her, has surprised by her eloquence and her execution in the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Aug 8, 2023 · Watch highlights as Colombia's Catalina Usme nets a second-half winner to set up a Women's World Cup quarter-final against England after a hard-fought 1-0 vi...
Aug 9, 2023 · Colombia have advanced to the 2023 Women's World Cup quarter-finals for the first time thanks to their fearless captain, Catalina Usme.
Aug 8, 2023 · Catalina Usme says Colombia are "dreaming big" after reaching their first Women's World Cup quarter-final, and they have England in their sights. Usme scored the only goal as Colombia beat...
Aug 10, 2023 · Learn about Catalina Usme, the 33-year-old forward who is Colombia's all-time leading scorer in fútbol and World Cups. She has played for the national team for over a decade and led them to the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
