There is a connection between under-17 World Cup finals in India and Real Madrid. In 2017, Vinicius Jr was not allowed to journey by Flamengo however by then Real Madrid had seen sufficient of the Brazilian prodigy. Linda Caicedo’s passage to India confronted no such hurdles however not lengthy after she was accomplished with the ladies’s under-17 World Cup in 2022, Real Madrid wished to signal her. And with two targets in two video games, together with a roller in opposition to former world champions Germany, she is rocking it within the ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Having begun the under-17 World Cup with a 0-1 defeat to Spain, Caicedo bought Colombia’s marketing campaign again on observe with a brace in opposition to China on the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The first confirmed her poacher’s intuition and the flexibility to learn the sport about which a lot has been stated in Australia and New Zealand. Caicedo was on the proper place on the proper time to faucet in a supply from the best that took a depraved deflection off Chinese defender Huang Jiaxin. The second was a crisp left-footer after dragging the ball together with her proper.
The first contact that had Sydney Football Stadium gasping in disbelief when Caicedo cushioned an extended ball by bending and lifting her proper leg behind her in opposition to South Korea was evident within the must-win group league sport in opposition to Mexico in Margao. Caicedo reacted first and quick to a headed clearance that went again as a substitute of entrance and, from inside a defensive sandwich, scored with a first-time lob off her proper foot. In the quarter-final in opposition to Tanzania, Caicedo scored with a cheeky dink. Those 4 targets made Caicedo the joint top-scorer and fetched her silver ball awarded to the second-best participant of the competitors the place Colombia completed runners-up.
By the time Caicedo had arrived in India the broad contours of her story have been recognized: she had made her nationwide workforce debut at 14, was identified with ovarian most cancers at 15 however made full restoration, had performed the under-20 World Cup the place she had scored twice in opposition to New Zealand and the 2022 Copa America the place Colombia have been runners-up to Brazil and he or she was adjudged Player of the Tournament. If Caicedo was well-known earlier than she got here to India, she left together with her repute enhanced. Real Madrid stated as a lot whereas saying her signing final February. In 10 league video games in 2022-23, Caicedo has scored two targets and made 4 assists
It was in 2017 that Colombia determined to deal with youth, head coach Nelson Abadia has stated on the Women’s World Cup. Caicedo was a type of Abadia hand-held into the senior workforce. She and defender Ana Guzman are two gamers from the under-17 squad who’re a part of the facet which can play Morocco on Thursday in Group H. Barring South Korea, all groups have an opportunity to progress however solely Colombia go into the ultimate set of video games with an all-win document.
Caicedo was 12 when she was introduced into the nationwide workforce set-up, Abadia has stated. “And then she started to grow.” If the under-17 World Cup was about her opportunism, Down Under Caicedo has proven her prowess from farther out. The aim in opposition to South Korea was as a consequence of an error from goalkeeper Yoon Young-geul and the area South Korea gave her in a sport the place the pencil-thin attacker with braided hair performed on each flanks. But her strike in opposition to twice world champions Germany can be a contender for the aim of the match.
Switching the ball between her ft, Caicedo took out one of many two Germans marking her and fired a right-footer that bent in on the far put up. As Caicedo fist pumped, Sydney Football Stadium, the place it appeared the entire practically 38,000 Colombians residing in Australia had fetched up within the workforce’s canary yellow shirt and with the nationwide flag, shook. The solely South American to have scored at a World Cup youthful than Caicedo, 18, is Marta.
Assistant coach Angelo Marsiglia stated she was a rare participant, one who all the time asks for the ball and brings pleasure to everybody. “She’s from another planet – a different type of player, entirely unique.”
After the opening sport, Caicedo, having identified that she was younger “very young”, stated: “I came here to enjoy this World Cup, with no pressure.” The scare of collapsing throughout coaching earlier than the sport in opposition to Germany however, Caicedo definitely is having fun with as a breakout star in a match that would be the final for Megan Rapinoe, Marta, Sophie Schmidt and probably for her Canada’s teammate Christine Sinclair.
Source web site: www.hindustantimes.com
