SYDNEY (AP) — Linda Caicedo played the entirety of Colombia’s 1-0 loss against Morocco in the Women’s World Cup on Thursday to allay concerns about the Real Madrid star’s health.
Not that there weren’t some concerning moments in the game at Perth Rectangular Stadium, where the 18-year-old forward looked well below her best.
Caicedo went down in pain in the first half when Nouhaila Benzina caught the top of her foot during one challenge. And she appeared to twist her ankle at the end of a run in the second half, which required treatment from Colombia’s medical staff and left her limping for a short period afterward.
But there was no repeat of the fatigue and exhaustion that had sparked fears over her health during the first two weeks of the World Cup.
Caicedo was seen holding her chest and then dropping to the ground during a practice session ahead of Colombia’s game against Germany last week.
Then, late in that match, she dropped to her knees behind the play before lying face down on the grass as Colombia’s medical staff went to her aid.
This week she underwent an EKG and other scans, which Colombia coach Nelson Abadia said had come back clear.
“What happens with Linda is that we want to make sure that she is at 100% and that she herself feels and knows that she is OK, and she is,” he said ahead of Colombia’s final Group H game against Morocco.
Still there have been questions about the reasons behind Caicedo’s health scares, which is why focus was on her again in the Morocco game.
While there were no signs of fatigue, she was less influential than she had been in her first two games, which saw her score in each.
In her best moment against Morocco, she forced goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi into a flying save from close range in the second half as Colombia went in search of an equalizer. Replays suggested the goal might have been ruled out for offside even if she had scored.
Despite losing, Colombia still advanced to the knockout stage as group winner and will play Jamaica in the round of 16 on Tuesday.
Morocco’s win saw it advance as runner up, while two-time world champion Germany was eliminated after a 1-1 draw with South Korea in the group’s other game.
Morocco plays France in the round of 16, also on Tuesday.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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More AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup
