Brazil bitter Colombia and stays with the Copa América of women’s soccer

The Colombian party in the stands throughout the Copa América could only be stopped by Brazil, the inescapable reference of South American women’s football, even in these changing times. The heiresses of the iconic but already veteran Marta (36 years old, considered the best player in the world six times) and Formiga (44), absent for the first time in an official tournament in the last 20 years, beat the locals 1-0 in the final played this Saturday night in Bucaramanga and champions of the subcontinent were consecrated for the eighth time in nine editions.

Debinha’s penalty goal, 39 minutes into the first half, sentenced the result and confirmed Brazil’s supremacy in its time in Colombia, with six wins in six games, 20 goals for and none against. A complete ratification, in addition, of its historical dominance: in the 140 games it has played in the Copa América since its first edition, in 1991, Brazil has 47 wins in 50 games, with just two defeats (against Argentina, in 2006 and 2014) and a tie (2014). That is, he won 94% of his presentations.

Women’s soccer was banned in Brazil for more than 40 years, beginning with a law passed in 1941 by President Getulio Vargas. Even once that ban ended, in 1983, various state governments insisted on various aesthetic precepts, such as maintaining “femininity.” In those years the future queens of South American football began to play.

The 25,000 people who filled the Alfonso López stadium –and confirmed the support of the Colombian public for women’s football, even despite the suspension that the local league will suffer in the second half of the year– also witnessed a historic event: the Swedish Pia Sundhage became the first coach to win the Copa América.

Until now, the eight previous titles, the seven that Brazil had and the triumph that Argentina infiltrated as a wedge in 2006, had belonged to teams led by men. Sundhage, 62, was a two-time Olympic champion with the United States in 2004 and 2008, the world leap Brazil is now aiming for: winning a World Cup or Olympic gold medal for the first time. America is too small for him.

Colombia, with a great campaign and led by the young prodigy Linda Caicedo (17 years old), became runner-up for the third time in its history, after the second places already obtained in 2010 and 2014. The local team, in any case, qualified together with Brazil to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and the 2023 New Zealand-Australia World Cup, a tournament to which Argentina also got the ticket, third in the Copa América after its 3-1 victory against Paraguay on Friday night.

Unlike previous editions, which since 1999 defined the champion in the final rounds, this time a decisive match was played to resolve first place. Tickets sold out days before and Colombia did not disappoint. With the support of their fans and the offensive power of their forwards –Caicedo, Leicy Santos, Catalina Usme and Mayra Ramírez–, the locals took the initiative despite the favoritism of the Brazilians and added several goal approaches, some well resolved by the archer Lorraine.

Brazil, however -a team that attacks and defends with its eleven players-, took advantage of their first arrival and took advantage through the penalty converted by Debinha, one of Sundhage’s bets -along with Beatriz Zaneratto and Adriana- to reach to the goal The author of the penalty that defined the tournament in passing climbed to the top of the Cup scorers table, along with Argentina’s Yamila Rodríguez, with 6 goals.

At a disadvantage, in the second half Colombia was further away from the Brazilian goal, although the locals never lost hope of a draw, to the point that at 44 minutes of the second half, Lorena had to make an effort before a poisonous shot from the forward Usme. Brazil only repeated six players compared to the previous Copa América, that of Chile 2018, but, whether it maintains its squad or presents its new figures, it always repeats its first place, a custom that does not lose emotion.

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