We have a soft spot in our hearts for scrappy little Colombia, who entered this group as long shots but have impressed with the overflowing technical ability of their players. So you can understand our frustration as Las Cafeteras were all set to cap off the team goal of the tournament before the English keeper went and clobbered the would-be scorer.
In one of the prettiest team moves you’ll see this summer, Colombia flicked and flipped the ball past the defense, sending full back Carolina Arias through on goal alone. But before Arias’s lofted shot could find its way into the back of the net, justifying for the umpteenth time all those rhapsodies about The Beautiful Game, keeper Karen Bardsley came in and absolutely leveled her while clearing the ball away. (Sure, Bardsley had to make the tackle, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.)
You can see by how long she was down that Arias was hurting, but before the camera cuts to commercial, you do see her picking herself up. She came back out with team after halftime.
Despite their eventual loss to the English, with the four points they picked up in their first two games, Colombia made it to the next round. Here’s to hoping England get worked by whomever they face next.
[Fox Sports 1]