Colombia coach says Caicedo OK to play in Women's World Cup match despite fall at training

Colombia coach says Caicedo OK to play in Women’s World Cup match despite fall at training

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Colombia’s Linda Caicedo trains with her teammates at Leichhardt Oval ahead of their game against Germany in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, July 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Sophie Ralph)

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Colombia’s Linda Caicedo trains with her team at Leichhardt Oval ahead of their game against Germany in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, July 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Sophie Ralph)

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Colombia’s Linda Caicedo trains with her team at Leichhardt Oval ahead of their game against Germany in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, July 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Sophie Ralph)

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Colombia’s Linda Caicedo reacts after scoring her first goal during the Women’s World Cup Group H soccer match between Colombia and South Korea at Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Sophie Ralph)

By ZEKE PALERMO

SYDNEY (AP) — Colombia head coach Nelson Abadía said forward Linda Caicedo is healthy ahead of Sunday’s Women’s World Cup match against Germany despite a training session video showing her voluntarily dropping to the ground while holding her chest.

“It was just an episode,” Abadía said Saturday. “It’s finished. It’s over. We’re happy about this. No problem.”

Caicedo, an 18-year-old cancer survivor, scored in Colombia’s opening 2-0 win over South Korea last week and is among the best young players in the world.

Asked to confirm that Caicedo will play Sunday, Abadía said: “We still have 24 hours to make a decision. But Linda is fine.”

A win against Germany would guarantee Colombia a spot in the knockout round. If Colombia plays to a draw or loses to the two-time World Cup champions, the team’s fate would be unresolved until the last day of the group stage.

Abadía said that Caicedo’s fall, shown in a video posted to social media on Thursday by Colombian media outlet DSPORTS, was due to fatigue and stress.

“She was tired,” Abadía said. “She was a bit stressed as well, because she was playing in her first World Cup. She had experience in other minor (youth) World Cups, but the World Cup has great relevance. She’s 18 years of age. She’s a girl as far as football goes.”

Caicedo, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 15, captained Colombia last year at the U-17 Women’s World Cup and also played at the U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Not PARSE.LY: FIFA Women’s World Cup