Colombia will draw on the approach that enabled them to stun Germany when they face England in a World Cup quarter-final on Saturday, their coach, Nelson Abadía, has said.
Abadía was more guarded than his captain, Catalina Usme, who said “we know we can pull it off” after Colombia defeated Jamaica 1-0 to reach the last eight for the first time, but he made clear his team would have no inferiority complex.
Colombia sent shockwaves through the women’s football world order when they beat Germany 2-1 in the group stage, with the European powerhouse – ranked second by Fifa, two places above England – ultimately exiting the tournament early.
“Of course England is one of the favourites – that goes without saying, they are the European champions,” Abadía said. “But we also faced Germany, they were the second best worldwide but we were wise enough, we had the composure with our players, and we will face that game against England with composure. It won’t be an easy game, that’s for sure.”
Abadía alluded to the early exits of USA and Canada when assessing Colombia’s chances. “According to English football and their history we need to be careful and cautious,” he said. “But the football that has been shown [at this tournament], I think the gaps have been closed down, and Colombia has been solid.”
Usme, the goalscorer and player of the match against Jamaica, would not speculate on how her team would plan to take down England. “We came here to play seven finals,” she said. “We are certain about how we prepared, and we are dreaming big but we know we can pull it off. We will go there on the pitch and give our all.”
Colombia are now the last team from the Americas in the tournament. Abadía said it was a special moment for this country but that their ongoing presence at the World Cup was not shocking to them.
“When we qualified for the World Cup the first thing I said [to the players] was: ‘We are not here to spend some time, we want to make history,’” he said.
“After the game against Morocco I said to my players: ‘This wasn’t a hiccup this was a boost,’ and we took it that way and that’s why today we were on to the pitch to play in the way that we play, having the ball, having possession, closing down spaces and being wise in time management.”
England will not have Lauren James available against Colombia after her red card against Nigeria. On Tuesday the forward apologised for treading on Michelle Alozie. “I am sorry for what happened,” she tweeted. “Also, for our England fans and my teammates, playing with and for you is my greatest honour and I promise to learn from my experience.”
The Football Association said James’s actions were “wholly out of character” and that it would “be putting forward representation on her behalf” as part of the Fifa disciplinary process that will decide whether to extend her automatic one-game ban.
Jamaica’s coach, Lorne Donaldson, said he was “very proud” of what his team had achieved after the challenges they faced in preparation. “Coming in with no games, I feel very happy for the players that they could perform at this level,” he said.
