The PowerPuff Girls of Columbia won their first-ever bronze medal at the 12th world U20 Women's Football tournament in Lodz, Poland, on Saturday. They defeated Italy 4-3 in a penalty shootout after the match ended 1-1 after extra time. This victory marked a significant milestone for the team, which had previously missed out on the bronze medal in 2010.
The match was a closely contested affair, with Italy dominating play and having 57-43% ball possession. They also had 27-13 shots at goal, with 8-1 on target, and stringed 589-448 passes, playing deep into Colombian territory. However, the Colombian goalkeeper made 7 crucial saves to deny Italy a win. The pressure exerted by Italy led to Colombian coach Carlos Penigua being flashed a yellow card in the 90+5 minute for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The match saw several key players make an impact. Glada Pellegrino Cimo opened the scoring for Italy with a lone strike in the 43rd minute, only for Cabezas Sintia to equalize in the 61st minute from an assist by Mosquera Nariana. The penalty shootout saw Mercedes Martinez score the winning kick for Columbia, while Vaferin Looba, Maria Torres, and Catalina Cortea also scored their kicks.
Italy's hopes of winning the bronze medal were dashed when they lost their last three kicks through Bressen Martina, Galloway, and Venturelli. The Italian team had previously dominated the group stages, sinking Yankee Babes of USA 2-1 and fizzling out New Zealand 3-0. However, they were unable to replicate this form in the semifinal, where they lost 0-2 to Spain.
Columbia's journey to the bronze medal was marked by several notable victories. They lost to North Korea 0-3 twice at the group stage and in the semifinal, but drew goalless with Portugal and outplayed Costa Rica 3-1. They also defeated hosts Poland at the round of 16 game by a lone goal and piped Nigeria by a lone goal in the quarterfinals.
The referee for the match, Lizzet Garcia of Mexico, was handling her sixth match in Poland, having previously been in charge of the Italy vs New Zealand group match, China vs Spain group match, and the quarterfinal match between Brazil and Spain. The match was a tense affair, with both teams creating scoring opportunities but ultimately failing to capitalize.
The final match of the tournament is set to take place on Sunday at 5 pm, where North Korea will face Spain in the championship match. North Korea is seeking to win the title for a record fourth time and second consecutive time, while Spain is looking to claim their first-ever title.
Key points
- Columbia won their first-ever bronze medal at the world U20 Women's Football tournament.
- The match against Italy was a closely contested affair, with Italy dominating play but ultimately losing in a penalty shootout.
- The Colombian team had previously missed out on the bronze medal in 2010 and will look to build on this victory in future tournaments.
