Linda Caicedo nets stunner as Colombia upsets Germany: World Cup digest

Just Women’s Sports is here with your daily World Cup Digest, breaking down all of the biggest storylines from each day of action in Australia and New Zealand.

Today’s top World Cup news: Linda Caicedo nets stunner as Colombia upsets Germany.

Linda Caicedo scored the best goal of the World Cup so far on Sunday in Colombia’s 2-1 upset of Germany.

Shaking off two defenders, Caicedo managed to curl one past the goalkeeper from a tight spot at a near impossible angle.

¡Grítalo Colombia🗣️!

🔥 Linda Caicedo hace explotar al Sidney Football Stadium con su segundo gol en la @FIFAWWC.#GER   0-1 #COL   

📺 @Telemundo y @peacock ➡ https://t.co/kWnYCuRFwZ#MundialTelemundo #LaCopaEsNuestra #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/CpPojiZxos

— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) July 30, 2023

It would remain 1-0 for the rest of the second half, but a penalty kick earned by Lena Oberdorf in the 89th minute resulted in a goal from Alexandra Popp that made it 1-1. Nearly 14 minutes of stoppage time played in Colombia’s favor, however, as Manuela Vanegas responded in the 97th minute stoppage time with a header to put Colombia up 2-1.

THAT IS BEYOND SPECIAL FROM VANEGAS

What a header, what a moment, what a match-winning goal for Colombia 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/bMRrhxas7l

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 30, 2023

Today’s top highlight: Morocco wins first-ever WC match as Benzina makes history

Dance like you've won your first ever #FIFAWWC match! 🪩@EnMaroc | #BeyondGreatness

— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) July 30, 2023

A 1-0 win over South Korea helped Morocco to its first ever World Cup win, keeping their knockout round hopes alive. The goal was also the team’s first-ever World Cup goal, delivered by Ibtissam Jraïdi in the sixth minute. Morocco is the first Arab nation to ever win a game at the Women’s World Cup after also becoming the first Arab country to qualify for the tournament.

“We are just so pleased our efforts have paid off,” Jraïdi said afterward. “This victory is for Morocco and Arabs — it’s the fruit of our hard work.”

Defender Nouhaila Benzina also made history as the first player to wear a hijab while competing at a senior-level global tournament.

Trailblazer: Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina becomes first player to wear a hijab in a Women's World Cup match. A sign that the growth of the Women’s game knows no bounds. 🇲🇦🙌 pic.twitter.com/CDfSALzOu9

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) July 30, 2023

Bonus: Look at what the win means to Colombia fans and players

ABSOLUTE SCENES IN SYDNEY! 🇨🇴

HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS GAME? pic.twitter.com/ti7rwgh4yt

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 30, 2023

A moment Colombia fans will never forget 🇨🇴👏 pic.twitter.com/vziksmqe68

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 30, 2023

Today’s results:

• Jamaica 1, Panama 0
• Morocco 1, South Korea 0
• Norway 6, Philippines 0
• Switzerland 0, New Zealand 0
• Colombia 1, Germany 0

Other top news to know:

• After losing their opener, Norway has clinched its spot in the knockout rounds with a 6-0 win over the Philippines. “We’ve been through this week together. We talk as a team and individuals and today, the last couple of days, you can see the energy coming back within the team and they believed this game might be the last game,” head coach Hege Riise said. Caroline Graham Hansen, meanwhile, called it “a great relief.”
• Australia head coach Tony Guastavsson said ahead of Australia’s final group stage game that not advancing out of their group would be a “failure.” “I definitely think it’s fair to say it’s a failure if we don’t go out of the group,” said Gustavsson. “I’m the first to admit that, I’ll take ownership for that. I think it’s a massive game in that sense, and we can’t shy away from that. We’ve spoken a couple of times before about legacy and the legacy and the why about this team. And you know, long-term legacy, it’s a different type of question. But if you talk about sports and results, this game is massive. We can’t shy away from that, this is a critical moment.”
• New Zealand will exit the World Cup in the group stage, but captain Ali Riley remained optimistic, especially after they recorded their first World Cup win. “There’s so much disappointment, but I just wanted everybody to know … be proud,” she told Fox postgame. “Be proud of what we’ve achieved. … I really think that we’ve inspired the country, I hope that little girls across New Zealand and the world now will start playing the sport and feel like they can achieve whatever they put their mind to and just dream bigger than they ever have been able to before. I just hope that this opens so many doors and opportunities for young girls. We wanted to inspire, we wanted to honor the Ferns that came before us and this team did that.”