Conquerors of the Falconets of Nigeria, The PowerPuff Girls of Columbia on Saturday won the 12th world U20 Women’s Football tournament Bronze at Lodz in Poland via penalty shootouts 4-3 after 1-1 of extra time making the Italian Girls weep with gnashing of teeth for lost chances.
The PowerPuff Girls went through a very tough time to win their first ever Bronze medal which they missed in 2010.
19 year old Fortelaza FC Defender, Mercedes Martinez won the match for Columbia with her last kick after Vaferin Looba, Maria Torres and Catalina Cortea had scored their kicks. The Coffee Growers lost their 1st kick through Viafara Fernanda and the 4th was blasted away by Lina Aboledo.
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Italy scored her first three kicks through Gabrielle Langella, Paola Fadda and Ventriglia Azzurra but lost the last three kicks through Bressen Martina, Galloway and Venturelli.
Glada Pellegrino Cimo had opened scoring for Italy thriugh her lone strike in the 43rd minute only for Cabezas Sintia to equalize in the 61st minute from Mosquera Nariana assist.
The match was so tensed that Ref Lizzet Garcia of Mexico flashed a yellow card to the 63 year old Columbian Coach, Carlos Penigua in the 90+5 minute for unsportsmanlike conduct. Ref Garcia was handling her 6th match in Poland being in charge for the Italy vs New Zealand group match; China vs Spain group match and the quarterfinal match between Brazil and Spain but was 4th official in the England vs Brazil group match as well as the round of 16 match between Columbia and Korea.
Italy had the match under grips dominating play with 57-43% ball possessions; having 27-13 shots at goal with 8-1 on target; stringing 589-448 passes playing deep into Columbia territory with 36-18 touches in Columbian box exerting much pressure in 4-1 corner kicks; forcing Columbia to have 16 goal kicks to their 9 when the Italian Goalkeeper was virtually on holidays that the Columbians Goalkeeper made 7 close saves. The pressure made the Columbian Coach bag his yellow.
Columbia lost to North Korea 0-3 twice at group stage and in the semifinal, drew goalless with Portugal, outplayed Costa Rica 3-1, defeated hosts Poland at round of 16 game by a lone goal and piped Nigeria by a lone goal in the quarterfinals.
Italy sank Yankee Babes of USA 2-1, fizzled out New Zealand 3-0, drew 1-1 with Japan, edged out China via penalty shootouts 5-4 after 1-1 AET, sanked also South Korea 3-1 at the quarterfinal before bowing to Spain 0-2 in the semifinal.
Columbia thus won their first Bronze medal on having played for the Bronze in 2010 but lost. In four appearances they made quarterfinals twice in 2022 and 2024.
Italy in their 3rd appearances never went beyond group stages having lost in 2004 and 2012.
Tomorrow Sunday at 5pm at the same venue the world would see whether North Korea would be crowned world champions for the record 4th time and back to back when they lock horns with former one time champions Spain.
Eniola Olatunji reporting for Patmos Media Line.
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