August 03, (THEWILL) – Spain staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Colombia in the Olympic quarter-finals in Lyon. The match ended 2-2 after extra time, with Spain winning 4-2 on penalties.
Colombia took a surprising 2-0 lead through goals from Mayra Ramirez and Leicy Santos. However, Spain fought back late in the game. Jenni Hermoso reduced the deficit in the 79th minute, and captain Irene Paredes equalised deep into injury time.
With no goals in extra time, the match went to penalties. Spanish goalkeeper Cata Coll made a crucial save from Catalina Usme, while Colombia’s Liana Salazar missed her attempt. Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati scored the winning penalty, confirming Spain’s place in the semi-finals.
Spain dominated possession and created more chances throughout the match. They had 155 final third entries compared to Colombia’s 26 and 46 more touches in the opposition box. Despite this, Colombia’s clinical finishing nearly caused an upset, as they scored twice from just four shots inside the area.
Spain will now face either France or Brazil in the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics. The Spanish team’s resilience and quality shone through in this thrilling encounter, keeping their hopes of Olympic gold alive.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
