By Lori Ewing
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Catalina Usme and Linda Caicedo scored to give Colombia a 2-0 victory over South Korea in their opening game of the Women’s World Cup on Tuesday, denying the Koreans what would have been only their second win in four appearances at the tournament.
Usme scored on a penalty kick in the 30th minute after a South Korean handball, sending keeper Yoon Younggeul the wrong way before slotting the ball into the far corner.
Caicedo, an 18-year-old forward for Real Madrid, doubled Colombia’s lead nine minutes later, launching a high shot that Yoon got her hands on, but without the power to send it over the bar. The ball squirted into the net, to the delight of the yellow-clad Colombian fans at Sydney Football Stadium.
Korea’s American-born teenager Casey Phair became the youngest player to take the field in Women’s World Cup history, subbing on in the 78th minute, just 26 days after her 16th birthday.
It was the final game of the opening round of group matches and the 300th match in Women’s World Cup history.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
