Spain beats Colombia 4-2 on penalties to reach the semifinals in Olympic women's soccer

Spain beats Colombia 4-2 on penalties to reach the semifinals in Olympic women’s soccer

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Players of Spain celebrate after defeating Colombia in a penalty shootout during the women’s quarter-final soccer match, at Lyon Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Decines, France. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

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Spain’s Jennifer Hermoso celebrates after scoring her side’s first goal during the women’s quarter-final soccer match between Spain and Colombia, at Lyon Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Decines, France. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

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Colombia’s Leicy Santos celebrates after scoring her side’s 2nd goal during the women’s quarter-final soccer match between Spain and Colombia, at Lyon Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Decines, France. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

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Colombia’s Leicy Santos, center, celebrates with teammate Linda Caicedo after scoring her side’s 2nd goal during the women’s quarter-final soccer match between Spain and Colombia, at Lyon Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Decines, France. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

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Colombia’s goalkeeper Katherine Tapia blocks a goal attempt by Spain’s Aitana Bonmati, right, during the women’s quarter-final soccer match between Spain and Colombia, at Lyon Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Decines, France. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

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Spain’s Irene Paredes celebrates after scoring her side’s 2nd goal during the women’s quarter-final soccer match between Spain and Colombia, at Lyon Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Decines, France. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

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LYON, France (AP) — World champion Spain fought back from 2-0 down and advanced to the semifinals of the Olympic women’s soccer tournament by beating Colombia in a penalty shootout on Saturday.

Spain won 4-2 in the shootout at Stade de Lyon, with Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati scoring the decisive spot kick.

Catalina Usme and Liana Salazar failed to score from the spot for Colombia, which had looked set to advance to the last four after taking a 2-0 lead through Mayra Ramirez and Leicy Santos.

Jenni Hermoso had sparked Spain’s second-half fightback and Irene Paredes forced the game to extra time with an equalizer in the seventh minute minute stoppage time.

Spain — playing in its first Olympics — will face either France or Brazil in the semifinals in Marseille on Tuesday and still has chance to complete a memorable double after winning the Women’s World Cup for the first time in Australia last year.

But for a long time Saturday, it looked like it was headed out of the tournament.

Ramirez fired Colombia into a 12th-minute lead — racing past Paredes and finishing clinically. Santos spun and curled in Colombia’s second in the 52nd to set up what looked like being one of the surprise results of the Olympics.

Hermoso’s goal in the 79th sparked the comeback and Paredes converted from close range to equalize deep into stoppage time.

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In the shootout, Usme’s weak penalty was saved by Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll. Salazar fired Colombia’s third spot kick over the bar.

All four of Spain’s penalties were successfully converted, with Bonmati sealing the win.

Colombia had led 2-0 when star player Linda Caicedo was injured and left the field on a stretcher in the 66th.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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