Women’s World Cup: England Might Give Colombia a Rude Awakening

England vs Colombia

England’s quest to go global continues here in the 2023 Women’s World Cup quarter-finals, where they’ll face Colombia at the Accor Stadium on Saturday dinner time.

The Lionesses got this far by dominating Group D and defeating Nigeria in a nervy penalty shootout in the Round of 16. And with two-time defending champions USA already eliminated, England have emerged as one of the favourites to go all the way in this competition.

Their opponents, Colombia, came through by topping Group H and beating Jamaica in the previous round. Las Cafeteras are one of the surprise packages of this tournament, and they’re keen to extend their fairytale run for as long as they can.

The winner of this quarter-finals tie will face the winner between Australia and France, which is also covered here at SBOTOP.

Talking Points

England can cope with James’ absence

Against Nigeria, Lauren James was shown a red card in the 87^th minute after she stepped on a fallen Michelle Alozie. At first, she was given a yellow card, but it was upgraded to a red after checking the VAR.

The apologetic James will definitely miss the Lionesses’ quarter-final game against Colombia this weekend, which is tough because the final length of her ban has yet to be fully determined.

Prior to the Nigeria game, the Chelsea winger had scored six goals in just three matches for the Lionesses.

But despite losing James, the Lionesses should still have enough to at least beat Colombia because they’re stacked. Other than James, five other players have scored for England, namely Rachel Daly, Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, and Georgia Stanway.

Kelly is most likely to replace James in the starting lineup. The Manchester City star showed off her clutch gene when she scored the winning goal in the Euro 2022 final, so she’s ready to take on the challenge of leading the line and creating more Women’s World Cup 2023 highlights.

Furthermore, England’s defence doesn’t get enough credit in this tournament. Penalties against Nigeria aside, the Lionesses have only conceded one goal, and they have Mary Earps to thank for that.

Earps is arguably the best goalkeeper that we have in the world today, especially after winning the WSL Golden Glove award with 14 clean sheets for Manchester United last season.

Vanegas’ return is a boost for Colombia

On the other hand, Colombia will get a shot in the arm with the return of Manuela Vanegas following a one-game suspension due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

The Real Sociedad wing-back scored probably the most important goal for Las Cafeteras when she headed in a corner in the 96^th minute to give them a vital victory against Germany in Group H that sent them through the knockout stages.

Vanegas’ versatility adds dimension to Colombia’s attack, as she can act as a winger whenever they overload up front. She, along with Catalina Usme and Linda Caicedo, would need to bring their A-game against the Lionesses.

History

Saturday marks the second-ever meeting between England and Colombia across all competitions. Their previous meeting was in the 2015 Women’s World Cup group stage, where England beat Colombia with a score of 2-1, courtesy of goals from Karen Carney and Fara Williams.

Despite losing to England in the final group stage match, Colombia still managed to advance to the knockout stage, joining France and England in Group F.

Colombia lost in the Round of 16 against the eventual champions, the USA, while England finished third in the tournament after defeating Germany in the third-place play-off.

England are playing in the Women’s World Cup quarter-finals for the sixth time, while Colombia have reached this far for the first time ever.

After failing to qualify for the semi-finals in their first three tries, the Lionesses have progressed from their last two quarter-final appearances.

Las Cafeteras, meanwhile, are aiming to become just the second CONMEBOL side to reach the final four after Brazil (1999 and 2007).

Betting Tip 

The Women’s World Cup 2023 odds are confident about England’s chances this weekend, as they’re priced at 1.49 to win, while Colombia are the underdogs at 6.00, and a draw is at 3.55 in the 1X2 market.

Much has been said about England’s troubles in big games, but this is the women’s national team that won the Euros not too long ago that we’re talking about, and their overall quality should overwhelm their CONMEBOL counterparts.

Although it would be pleasant to see them go further, Colombia’s sensational run in this tournament was fun while it lasted.

 

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