Gaitàn and her teammates now will battle Group B winner Sweden (2-1-0) in the Round of Eight Saturday, July 24, in Bielefeld.
Colombia claimed an impressive 3-0 victory vs. Costa Rica this week in Dresden and later received confirmation that host Germany had defeated France to put them through to the quarterfinals.
Gaitàn and her home country are making their first appearance in the Under-20 Fédération Internationale de Football Association Women’s World Cup, and the triumph over Costa Rica was their first-ever victory in a World Cup at any level.
A captain, Gaitàn helped Colombia tie for second with France in Group A with four points. Teams earn three points for a win and one point for a draw. Colombia opened the 16-team tourney with a 1-1 draw vs. France July 13, followed by a 3-1 loss to Germany July 16.
For updates, go to www.utrockets.com.