Youthful Columbia defeats aging Aussies 2-1 in SheBelieves final match day

The proceedings in the decade long tradition of the SheBelieves cup final match day began with Australia facing Columbia in a fixture that faced the two sides tied in terms of total points, goals, and separated only by fair play points with Columbia responsible for 4 yellow cards in the tournament.

For Australia this continues to be a team that looks to find its transition with the average age of the squad at 28 years old. For Columbian coach Ángelo Marsiglia who has been navigating a squad with an average age of 23 it is a very different story as this SheBelieves cup has created a needed opportunity to build confidence in his young side through the experience of an international tournament.

That opportunity came early on as Wendy Candelo found the back of the net off a piercing through-ball from Mayra Ramírez in the 15th minute. Columbia’s form was markedly improved as the young side showed growth in their offensive buildout with greater patience and more decisive passing.

Australia has struggled to produce effective possessions with the lowest rate of possession in the tournament. This has only been accentuated by the lack of a true creative center midfielder and the offensive potency of Sam Kerr the Chelsea striker who continues to recover from an ACL injury and is expected to return in the coming weeks.

Hayley Raso had different ideas in the second half creating a brilliant equalizer for Australia in the 69th minute with a finishing strike in the box that brought the Matildas level, changing the complexion of the game and adding an urgency and pace that completely opened the game from the tense possessions of the first half.

Columbia capitalized on the open play as their captain Catalina Usme found the back of the net off an unfortunate deflection on a long range shot that deflected off of Natasha Prior and Clare Hunt in a broken play. This was Usme’s 57th goal and is the most of any Columbian in their history for both men and women.

For Australia it has been a poor showing at the international level, and the woes continue to compound with the absence of Kerr and the visible age of this team. Columbia, however, continues to show promise and will continue to be a threat in tournament play as the upcoming Copa America will be the ultimate test for this young team.