BOGOTÁ – A jubilant crowd received the Colombian team that played in the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday at the Movistar Arena in Bogotá, in which the South American team had its best historical participation and reached the quarterfinals, in those who fell with England.
Family members and fans, dressed in the team’s jerseys and with the country’s tricolor flag, greeted the soccer players led by Nelson Abadía with shouts, applause and great emotion.
The players arrived at the Bogotá coliseum and began to leave one by one to the shouts and greetings of the crowd that attended the tribute, organized by the Colombian Football Federation (FCF).
Some even went out with their phones in hand to record what was happening in the venue, where there were signs that said: “We are proud to have you in the heart of Bogotá.”
The name that caused the biggest buzz was that of Catalina Usme, the top scorer in history for the Colombian team.
The youth striker Linda Caicedo, who has already joined the ranks of Real Madrid, was not present at the ceremony; defender Daniela Caracas and central defender Jorelyn Carabalí, whose brother was assassinated on Monday in the city of Cali. All three received a boisterous ovation.
Precisely, when the entire team was on stage, a tribute was paid to Carabalí with a video in which he appears training, dancing and sharing with his teammates.
“We are with you Jore”, the players and fans shouted in unison in one of the most emotional moments of the ceremony and which was led by central defender Daniela Arias.
Thousands of fans gathered to thank the historic performance of the 23 “Powerpuff Girls” soccer players in the World Cup.
AN EMOTIONAL JOURNEY
During the ceremony, the best moments of the five matches played by Colombia in the World Cup were broadcast, the first of which was the 2-0 victory over South Korea that started with a penalty from Usme.
“The truth is that this has been a very special World Cup for us and the people have played a very important role for us,” she said.
The Colombian team built its 2-0 victory over the Republic of Korea based on precision and perseverance in all its lines.
Then the images of the valuable 2-1 victory over Germany were shown, which came with a last-minute header from winger Manuela Vanegas.
“I was very happy to score a goal in my first World Cup, a goal that gave us victory in a very hard-fought match, very valuable, and a second step that hit the table,” he said.
Colombia wins a close game against Germany and leads group H. Relive the best moments here.
A video of the 1-0 defeat against Morocco was even played, in which the great figure of the team was the goalkeeper Catalina Pérez.
One of the most exciting moments came when the images of the 1-0 victory over Jamaica were broadcast, which marked the qualification of the coffee makers to the quarterfinals with a goal from Usme.
Captain Daniela Montoya described that game as “incredible” and recalled that “the team responded excellently and Cata shot off a pass from ‘La Mona’ (Ana María Guzmán)”.
Colombia was confirmed as one of the eight best teams in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Finally, the images of the quarterfinal duel in which Colombia fell 2-1 with England arrived. The only goal for the South Americans was a jewel from midfielder Leicy Santos, from Atlético de Madrid.
“Without a doubt, it was a goal that I think the most beautiful thing about that goal is that I felt that all those people who were there wanted it as much as I had wanted it,” he said.
During the ceremony, in which there were even musical shows by the Bogotá tropi-pop group Sin Ánimo de Profit and the singer Pipe Bueno, the players smiled and celebrated, with emotion, what they had achieved in the World Cup.
