Women's World Cup: Colombia & France book last of the quarter-final places | OneFootball

The 32 teams that started the 2023 edition of the Women's World Cup last month have been whittled down to just eight now that first knockout round has been completed.

Colombia vs Jamaica and France vs Morocco were the final pair of last 16 matches to be played in a round that had already seen the United States knocked out and England given an almighty scare.

History beckoned for Colombia, Jamaica and Morocco if the could make it through, while France were simply hoping to avoid becoming the latst high profile casualty at the tournament.

Colombia 1-0 Jamaica

A 51st minute goal from Catalina Usme not only won the game for Colombia, putting them into the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time, but was also the very first time that Jamaica's ironclad defence had been breached in the tournament after three successive group stage clean sheets.

It wasn't a vintage World Cup contest in the sense that neither seemed prepared to give anything away in the first half and potentially leave themselves a mountain to climb if they went behind.

But when stand-in Colombia left-back Maria Guzman sent a raking ball towards the far post, Usme controlled it to get in front of her marker and could hardly miss as she aimed back across goal.

The South Americans had further chances to extend their lead, but teenage starlet Linda Caicedo was denied by Jamaica goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer, while Leicy Santos struck the post.

Jamaica had managed to escape the group stage scoring just a single goal and arguably left it too late to really go for it and save their World Cup campaign. In the end, they had six attempts on goal over the 90 minutes, with Khadija Shaw mostly a peripheral figure without service.

The Reggae Girlz had already made history. They arrived at the World Cup following protests over "subpar" support from the national federation and having been knocked out at the group stage in 2019 after three comprehensive defeats. The progress has been phenomenal.

As for Colombia, they have gone one better at each World Cup they have competed at, from group stage elimination in 2015, to the last 16 in 2019 and now at least the quarter-finals in 2023. They face European champions England for a possible place in the semis.

France 4-0 Morocco

Morocco were thrashed 6-0 by Germany in their very first World Cup game last month and it looked from early on here against France as though that could be repeated.

The Lionesses of Atlas had stunned the football world when they put together back-to-back wins over South Korea and Colombia to progress from the group stage. But a France side that has found its feet since stuttering to a 0-0 draw with Jamaica in their opening game were too much for them.

Kadidiatou Diani is tasked with scoring the goals for the French side this summer, with Marie-Antoinette Katoto ruled out with an ACL injury. The experienced forward took a little time to warm up, but netted a hat-trick against Panama in the group stage and broke the deadlock after 15 minutes in this one.

The same player, whose club move to Lyon was confirmed last week, then set up Kenza Dali and Eugenie Le Sommer in quick succession before a quarter of the game had elapsed. Le Sommer, bizarrely left out at Euro 2022, got her second and France's fourth midway through the second half.

"It's an adventure that has been absolutely exceptional. I will even say it is something that was unthinkable to say that Morocco was going to get to the round of 16," Morocco coach Reynald Pedros reflected on his team's epic journey.