Katie Smith
BBC reporter at Sydney Football Stadium

The Colombian fans are deafening and they cheer for everything. And I mean everything.

A clearance in their own half is greeted with noise worthy of a World Cup win. Any German touch is booed. We may hear quite a lot of that too.

Image source, Getty Images

This time Alexandra Popp does get her head into a delivery into the box - a free-kick from Chantal Hagel - but under serious pressure from two markers, the forward can only glance the ball out for a goal kick.

Lucy Ward
Former Leeds striker on ITV1

Colombia have started this game very well, they're not just sitting deep, which isn't their way anyway.

I think their way into the game will be down that left hand side, through Linda Caicedo.

No prizes for guessing who the target is in the box for Germany. They drive forward and swing a ball into Alexandra Popp but the Colombian defence does its job.

Soon after Catalina Perez leaves her goal to claim a cross from Lena Oberdorf.

Lucy Ward
Former Leeds striker on ITV1

Germany's back four started quite high but they will be expecting plenty of foot races with the Colombian front line.

They will back themselves to get the better of the individual duels.

Colombia haven't come here to be conservative. They're getting forward at every opportunity. A corner yields a good first real chance as Mayra Ramirez rises at the back post to nod wide. She should have done better.

Sulaimon: I am surprised to see Linda Caicedo start after the midweek incident but she must have been passed fit to play. I am expecting a Germany win but Colombia will give us a good game.

Alexandra Popp wins a header to flick the ball on but Klara Buehl can't gather it and keep it in. Had she been able to do so, she'd have had very little opposition in front of her en route to goal.

The first touch for exciting Colombian teenage forward Linda Caicedo was greeted with roars. The crowd here recognise just how exciting she can be if she gets the ball at her feet with room to drive into.

Katie Smith
BBC reporter in Sydney

Image source, Getty Images

Wow! I had goosebumps as the Colombian anthem rang out across the stadium. They have so much support here and the noise is immense.

Chatting to Colombian journalists, they say there’s a big student community here in Australia. It feels like every single one is here tonight.

Germany's first chance to test the Colombian defence but their free-kick from deep has too much on it and it flies past everyone in the box. That's a waste.

Germany have some defending to do first up, though, as a free-kick is hammered into the box but met by a booming defensive header.

So, Germany will qualify with a win here. And Germany have a habit of winning.

And away we go.

Group H should become a lot clearer over the next 90 minutes. Two teams with 100% winning records start the game. They can't both end it with those intact.

The players are on the pitch at Sydney Football Stadium, and we've had the anthems.

The Colombian anthem was LOUD. Their fans are present in huge numbers again, creating a superb atmosphere.

Image source, Getty Images

Colombia got their tournament off to the perfect start last Tuesday, beating South Korea 2-0 in Sydney.

Catalina Usme put the South Americans ahead from the penalty spot, before teenager Linda Caicedo, 18, doubled the lead thanks to an error from Korean keeper Yoon Young-geul.

It gave them only their second ever World Cup win and gives them a serious chance of reaching the next round.

It would be fair to say that Germany really "popped" in their opening game of this World Cup.

A 6-0 win over Morocco put down a marker to say the two-time winners mean business in Australia and New Zealand.

Front and centre of that victory, as she so often is, was captain Alexandra Popp, who netted twice to help brush aside the tournament debutants.

It puts the world's number two side in the box seat to qualify for the next round with a game to spare should they do as expected and beat Colombia today.

Talk of being overphysical has followed Colombia around this World Cup, ever since their pre-tournament friendly against Republic of Ireland was abandoned with the Irish unhappy at several challenges.

However, they beat South Korea without too much incident, and Germany's Lina Magull says she enjoys their style of play.

"They have a certain strength, however that is their way to play," she told the Germany pre-match press conference.

"It speaks for the Colombian team that they play with passion. We are not afraid, it is just something to be prepared for.

"Colombia have a certain passion they bring to the pitch, I find that quite impressive, it's just who they are and how they play football. Football is not just one way of playing, that's what is beautiful.

"We are prepared in every area, every type of football, ready tackle different types of play."

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Goals decide games, and there are few female players more capable in front of goal than Germany captain Alexandra Popp.

Popp scored twice in Germany's 6-0 thrashing of Morocco, as she looks to avenge the disappointment of Euro 2022, where she scored in every round before suffering an injury in the warm-up before the final.

Team mate Lina Magull said of Popp: "It's great to play together, we know her qualities, when she is on the pitch she is dangerous and a leader.

"She resonates a lot of confidence. She is a personality you can focus on and it works well on the pitch.

"We appreciate her as a player and as a person."

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At 11pm on the day she signed for Real Madrid in February, Linda Caicedo was not out celebrating with family and friends. Instead, the 18-year-old was calling a young cancer patient about to undergo surgery back home in Colombia.

It shows where the priorities of Caicedo lie - she may be one of the breakout stars of the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup on the pitch, but off it she knows there is much more to life than football.

Her journey so far includes a professional and international debut at 14, a cancer diagnosis at 15, and a move to one of the most well-known clubs in the world.

The latest step of that journey came in Sydney, where she jinked in from the left wing and fired through the gloves of keeper Yoon Young-geul as Colombia beat South Korea in their opening match, to earn only their second ever win at the Women's World Cup.

You can read more on the short but extraordinary career so far of Linda Caicedo in our feature here.

Image source, Getty Images