Linda Caicedo helps Colombia to victory as South Korea pay for errors

Linda Caicedo scored on her debut at the Women’s World Cup as Colombia beat South Korea 2-0 on Tuesday.

The Real Madrid forward, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 15, fired in her country’s second goal of the match at Sydney Football Stadium before racing toward Colombia’s fans in celebration.

The 18-year-old, who is an inspirational figure on and off the field, further enhanced her reputation as one of football’s rising stars with her goal and performance as Colombia made a winning start to the tournament.

In a moment for the history books for talented teens, 16-year-old Casey Phair became the youngest-ever player in the Women’s World Cup when she went on as a second-half substitute for South Korea.

By then, it was too late. The Colombians took the lead from a penalty in the 30th minute after Shim Seo-yeon handled a goal-bound effort from Manuela Vanegas in the area. Catalina Usme converted from the spot, sending South Korean goalkeeper Yoon Young-geul the wrong way when placing her shot to the left of the net.

South Korea’s coach Colin Bell angrily wondered why there was no VAR for the decision. “The penalty was a little bit harsh because the ball was really well-struck, at speed, at distance, I don’t know where Seo-yeon would have had to put her] arms,” said Bell. “I just wondered why that was not reviewed. I’ve watched all the matches so far in this tournament, you’ve had five minutes with review at times [when] nobody knows what’s going on. This time it’s a clear penalty.” Caicedo’s goal came at the end of a darting run from midfield, which saw her cut in from the left before curling a shot from the edge of the box. Her effort appeared too central to trouble Yoon, but the keeper got her positioning