Manuela Vanegas headed a stoppage-time winner to give Colombia a 2-1 upset victory over Germany just when the two-time world champions thought they had saved a point in a thrilling Women's World Cup clash at Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday.
The defender powered the ball home from a corner eight minutes after German striker Alexandra Popp had converted a penalty to cancel out a stunning strike from Colombian teenager Linda Caicedo.
Caicedo, who gave her team a fright by collapsing in training on Thursday, had delighted the massed ranks of her compatriots in the 40,499 crowd with a goal of the highest quality in the 52nd minute.
The Colombians tore into the match from the kickoff and the Germans looked rattled not only by their aggression but also by the deafening noise of their yellow-shirted fans.
Popp, who scored two goals against the Moroccans, should have added to her tournament tally in the 42nd minute but blazed her volley high and wide from close range.
Colombia continued to launch the ball forward to their front players at every opportunity but it was not until seven minutes after the break that they were able to break the stalemate.
Caicedo, 18, gathered the ball on the left edge of the box, cut back between two defenders and curled it into the top right-hand corner.
The diminutive teenager celebrated her second goal at the tournament, having become the youngest player to score in this World Cup with a similar effort in the 2-0 opening win over South Korea.
Germany continued to spurn what chances they created but, with two minutes left on the clock, Oberdorf was brought down in the box by Perez and Popp stepped up to thump the ball confidently into the net.
Colombia then clinched the game seven minutes into added time to add more drama to the tournament.
The 27th-ranked Colombians now need only a draw against Morocco in their final Group H match to be certain of reaching the last 16, while Germany are still likely to progress if they beat South Korea in their last fixture.
Meanwhile, Norway coach Hege Riise said it was a relief to see her team move on from a divisive week as they beat the Philippines 6-0 at Eden Park and squeaked into the knockout stages of the Women's World Cup on goal difference.
The former champions had everything on the line for Sunday's final group-stage affair after they lost to New Zealand and were held to a scoreless draw against Switzerland.
As though that pressure was not enough, they had the added task of restoring harmony on a fractured team after winger Caroline Graham Hansen lashed out over the decision to start her on the bench against Switzerland.
"We’ve been through this week together. We talk as a team and individuals and today, the last couple of days, you can see the energy coming back within the team and they believed this game might be the last game," Riise told reporters.
Striker Sophie Roman Haug scored a hat-trick against the Philippines and Graham Hansen's first-half goal helped to justify her place in the starting team, while Guro Reiten also scored.
