A penalty goal from forward Debinha was enough for Brazil beat this Saturday by 0-1 a rocky and fighter Colombia and thus lift his eighth title of the America Cup Women at the Alfonso López stadium in the Colombian city of Bucaramanga.
The unbeatable team led by Sweden’s Pia Sundhage finished the tournament with a winning streak of six matches played, in which they scored 20 goals and did not concede any.
In addition to facing some difficult opponents, the Canarinha had to deal with the multitude of Colombian fans who filled the stands of the sports arena and who shouted “Yes, we can” supported the coffee growers, who dreamed of winning the continental tournament for the first time. time in its history.
From the first minutes the game was very hard fought in midfield and the Brazil coach had to deal with a big problem: the departure of midfielder Angelina at minute 8 due to an injury after a clash with Colombian Lorena Bedoya.
La Canarinha tried to cause damage on the left side with Adriana, which complicated Daniela Caracas, he replaced Mónica Ramos in the starting eleven, while the Cafetera team appealed to the creativity of Leicy Santos and the speed of Linda Caicedo to harm.
The first approaches of the host team occurred in a counterattack at 13, led by Caicedo, and in a free kick at 20 that Catalina Usme charged and, demanded, Lorena saved.
The Colombians bothered a Brazil that did not find its best version and depended a lot on the individual adventures of Adriana, who almost scored the first at 32 with a mid-distance shot that passed near the right post of Catalina Pérez’s goal.
Although he was not showing his best football, Verdeamarela found a penalty four minutes later when full-back Manuela Vanegas brought down Debinha in the area, who at 38 charged and celebrated to silence the Alfonso López stadium.
After the break, those led by Sundhage went out to look for the second one rivals who had many difficulties to deal with the aggressive pressure exerted by Brazil.
This is how two opportunities came to increase the advantage: one with a free kick by Bia Zaneratto that passed close to the Colombian goal and another in a lethal counterattack in which Debinha could not beat a fast Pérez in heads-up.
The Colombian Leicy Santos disputes a ball with the Brazilian Antonia
La Verdeamarela cooled down the game and Sundhage reinforced the midfield with Luana to try to prevent the ball from frequently reaching the coffee attackers.
The dominance of Sundhage’s took effect until the 70th minute, when the Colombians began to react and approached Lorena’s goal with shots deflected by Usme, Caicedo and Santos.
In the final minutes, despite the wear and tear, the hosts turned to the Brazilian field and looked for a draw as best they could, but those led by Sundhage endured under the shadow of the central Tainara and Rafaelle, who managed to put out almost all the fires caused for Caicedo’s skill and Santos’ creativity.
The Argentine judge María Laura Fortunato whistled the end of the match and Sundhage, her coaching staff and the players burst into jubilation because in Bucaramanga they won their eighth Copa América title, which adds to those achieved in 1991, 1995, 1998, 2003, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
DATA SHEET
0 – Colombia: Catherine Perez; Daniela Caracas, Daniela Arias, Jorelyn Carabalí, Manuela Vanegas; Lorena Bedoya (m.84, Gisela Robledo), Daniela Montoya, Catalina Usme; Linda Caicedo, Leicy Santos and Mayra Ramírez (m.61, Diana Ospina)
Coach: Nelson Abadía
1 – Brazil: Lorraine; Antonia, Tainara, Rafaelle, Tamires; Ary Borges (m.66, Gabi Portilho), Angelina (m.7, Duda), Kerolin (m.66, Luana), Adriana; Bia Zaneratto (m.86, Geyse) and Debinha
Coach: Pia Sundhage
Goal: 0-1, Debinha (d. 38)
Referee: The Argentine Maria Laura Fortunato. She admonished Tainara, Bedoya, Bia Zaneratto and Antonia
Incidents: final of the Women’s Copa América played at the Alfonso López stadium in the Colombian city of Bucaramanga
