Spain survive Colombia scare, join USA in Olympic women’s football semis

World Cup holders Spain narrowly avoided elimination by overcoming Colombia in a penalty shootout to reach the semi-finals of the Olympic women’s football on Saturday. Meanwhile, the United States edged past Japan.

Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati secured the decisive penalty as Spain triumphed 4-2 in the shoot-out after their quarter-final match in Lyon ended 2-2 following extra time.

Spain will face either hosts France or Brazil in the semi-finals on Tuesday in Marseille. Competing in their first Olympic women’s football tournament, Spain came back from a 2-0 deficit against Colombia.

Mayra Ramirez scored early for Colombia, and Leicy Santos added a second goal early in the second half after a saved shot from Linda Caicedo. Jennifer Hermoso brought Spain back into the game with a goal in the 79th minute, and captain Irene Paredes equalized with a Salma Paralluelo cross in the seventh minute of injury time.

With no goals in extra time, the match went to penalties. Spain capitalized on Colombia’s missed penalties from captain Catalina Usme and Liana Salazar, successfully converting all four of their spot-kicks.

Earlier, Trinity Rodman’s spectacular goal in extra time secured a 1-0 victory for the United States against Japan. Rodman, daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, scored in stoppage time at the end of the first half of extra time at a packed Parc des Princes in Paris.

The USA will now face either reigning Olympic champions Canada or 2016 gold medalists Germany in the semi-finals on Tuesday in Lyon. Under new coach Emma Hayes, the USA aims for a record-extending fifth women’s football gold and their first since the 2012 London Olympics, where they defeated Japan in the final. Japan, whose only medal in the competition is that silver from 2012, failed to capitalize on their chances during the quarter-final.

Reflecting on her goal, Rodman said, “I honestly think that was the only way we were going to find a goal in that game. We tried all game long to get in between them, but it wasn’t working. Crystal Dunn played it in behind, it bobbled a little, and then I banged it in the upper 90. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I am very happy about it.”

The crowd in Paris was also excited by the presence of Snoop Dogg, who was working at the Olympics for US television.

Japan adopted a defensive approach, allowing the USA to dominate possession without creating clear-cut chances. Rodman, Mallory Swanson, and Sophia Smith, who had been impressive during the group stage, struggled against Japan’s defensive setup. Rodman’s goal came midway through extra time, as she controlled a long ball from Dunn, turned Hikaru Kitagawa inside out, and fired a shot into the far corner of the net. This was Rodman’s third goal in four games, making her the USA’s joint top scorer alongside Swanson.