EDMONTON, Alberta — Colombia wanted respect. The U.S. wanted a win.
Both got at least some of they what they were looking for Monday, with the Americans surviving their stiffest test of the Women’s World Cup to beat the short-handed Colombians, 2-0, before a crowd of 19,412 at Commonwealth Stadium.
The second-half goals, which came from Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd, sent the U.S. to the tournament quarterfinals, where it will meet China on Friday in Ottawa.
Colombia, meanwhile, which played the second half with just 10 players, goes home. But not before making a huge statement in this World Cup by beating third-ranked France in group play, then giving the second-ranked U.S. all it could handle for more than an hour.
The U.S. came into the game with a huge edge in age and experience. Fifteen players on the U.S. roster have played in two or more World Cups; Colombia was playing in the tournament for just the second time. And while the U.S. had just one starter — defender Julie Johnson — who was born in the 1990s, Colombia had eight.
Despite that Colombia, which had not beaten — or even scored upon — the U.S. in two previous meetings, made clear it wasn’t intimidated, with midfielder Lady Andrade accusing the Americans of belittling her team, then predicting a win.
And for a while it looked as if her teammates might follow through on that boast.
Goalkeeper Catalina Perez, a 20-year from the University of Miami, kept the game even in the first half.
Making her first World Cup start in place of regular Sandra Sepulveda, who was suspended with two yellow cards, Perez was brilliant in the opening 45 minutes, making three saves.
She apparently couldn’t wait to get back on the field for the second half, emerging from the tunnel a full minute ahead of her teammates. But she didn’t stay there long, earning a red card for a dangerous tackle on Alex Morgan in the 47th minute, leaving Colombia with 10 players for the rest of the match. That play also gave the U.S. a penalty shot against new keeper Stefany Castano, but Abby Wambach shanked it, missing the net by several feet to keep the game scoreless.
Morgan didn’t miss the net six minutes later, though, banking a shot from the edge of the box off Castano’s hand at the near post for her first goal of this World Cup, giving the U.S. the only tally it would need.
Lloyd added an insurance goal just the same, converting a penalty kick in the 66th minute by pushing a right-footed shot comfortably into the net after Colombia’s Angela Clavijo tripped Megan Rapinoe inside the 18-yard box.
The U.S., still looking for some offensive cohesion, now heads to Ottawa to play a defensive-minded Chinese team that, like Colombia, is young and relatively inexperienced. And the U.S. will be missing two key players for that game after midfielders Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday picked up their second yellow cards of the tournament in the first half.
Both will be suspended for the quarterfinal.
England 2, Norway 1
OTTAWA — Defender Lucy Bronze scored a fine winning goal as England came from behind to beat Norway in a second round Women’s World Cup game on Monday and set up a quarter-final clash against hosts Canada.
The two technically skilled European sides largely cancelled each other out in the sweltering heat for the first hour and sixth-ranked England had to wait until the 76th minute to take the lead, Bronze thumping home a shot from 22 yards out.
England, who have now reached the quarter final for the third successive World Cup, will meet Canada on Saturday in Vancouver and fancy their chances against the home team who have largely failed to shine.
“We have an excellent record against this Canada team … the momentum we got from this game will put us in a great place going into the quarter final,” said upbeat England coach Mark Sampson.
With temperatures on the pitch hovering around 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) at the start, the players initially adopted a slow pace. Norway had two good chances in the first 45 minutes but could not beat England keeper Karen Bardsley.
Eleventh-ranked Norway, the 1995 World Cup champions, started to lose their dominance when Sampson took off tricky, diminutive midfielder Fran Kirby in the 54th minute and replaced her with the more imposing Jill Scott.
“I felt we needed to get a little tighter in midfield and gain more territory,” said Sampson.
Seconds after the switch, though, Solveig Gulbrandsen broke the deadlock, getting her head to a corner at the near post and flicking the ball in off the bar.
But England started to look much the better team and deservedly drew level from a corner in the 61st minute when captain Steph Houghton outmuscled two defenders to score with a fine header of her own.
England have now won three in a row at this World Cup after losing their first game.
Norwegian coach Even Pellerud said his team had started to struggle with the pressure after half-time, especially in the wake of Houghton’s goal.
“We should have finished the game in the first half and we didn’t,” he said, congratulating Sampson for the way he had changed England’s tactics.