Colombia U20 women claimed a 3-1 victory over Costa Rica at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup group stage opener on September 7th. The visitors took the lead through a penalty by F. Viafara just one minute after S. Scott had given Costa Rica an early advantage. By then the match had already shifted direction, and Colombia never looked back.
Scott's sixth-minute strike caught the hosts on the break, but the response came swiftly. Viafara converted from the spot in the twenty-sixth minute after a penalty incident. Costa Rica's J. Briceno picked up a booking in the twenty-fifth minute, just before the spot-kick moment. The visitors took control and never surrendered it.
Colombia doubled their advantage through M. Silva in the fifty-sixth minute. The hosts made changes in the sixty-sixth with M. Solis and R. Recio coming on, but the momentum had already tilted. N. Medina joined Briceno on the yellow card list in the seventy-fifth minute. Silva was substituted in the seventy-ninth, but the damage was done.
Cortes added a fourth goal for Colombia in the eightieth minute. Costa Rica had a chance to respond when J. Ortegon missed a penalty in the eighty-ninth minute. The hosts made two more substitutions in the ninetieth minute through V. Loboa and I. Weiner. The result settled the contest before any drama could unfold.
Colombia dominated possession at 62 per cent and completed 436 passes compared to 268 for Costa Rica. The visitors registered seven shots on target with twelve off target, while the hosts managed two on target and one off. Costa Rica made 36 tackles against 18 for Colombia, showing the defensive burden they carried throughout.
The win moves Colombia into contention in Group 1, while Costa Rica face a difficult run of fixtures. The hosts have lost three of their last five matches, including defeats to Canada and the United States. Colombia come into the tournament with a mixed record but showed composure against a determined opposition.
