Women’s World Cup final, score: Spain wins over England 1-0
Spain’s first major international title makes them the first European team to win the Women’s World Cup since Germany in 2007.
SYDNEY, NSW — Spain wins first Women’s World Cup Championship less than a year after the players riot, held England 1-0 on Sunday after Olga Carmona’s first-half goal.
Spain’s first major international title makes them the first European team to win the Women’s World Cup since Germany in 2007.
When the final whistle sounded, the Spanish players pressed together in front of the goal.
Carmona’s left-footed shot in the 29th minute went into the far corner of the goal and was just out of reach for England keeper Mary Earps.
In celebration, she held up her jersey to reveal the word “Merchi” scribbled in ink on her bra, a clear reference to her alma mater.
Carmona also scored the winning goal in the match 89 minutes of the semi-final Spain beat Sweden 2-1became the first player since Carli Lloyd in 2015 to score in a World Cup semi-final and final.
Spain had a chance to double the lead in the 68th minute but Jenni Hermoso’s penalty effort was thwarted by Earps, who predicted perfectly and dashed to her left.
Spain’s victory came despite the players’ rebellion last year. Fifteen players said they left the national team for mental health reasons, while calling for a more professional environment.
Three of those players – Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey – reconciled with the federation and entered the World Cup.
He was motivated to enter the tournament after winning the European Championship at home last summer. But the team’s three best players, captains Leah Williamson, Fran Kirby and Beth Mead, all suffered knee injuries that kept them out of the World Cup.
England coach Sarina Wiegman was the first to take her teams to consecutive World Cup matches. She led the Netherlands to the final in 2019, but lost 0-2 to the United States. She is now 0-2.
England won 3-1 against host Australia in the semi-final. Lauren James, the team’s top scorer with three goals and three assists, was forced to sit out two games with a suspension for stepping on Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie to open the knockout round. .
While James got ready for the final, Wiegman started Ella Toone. James came on to start the second half.
The match was briefly interrupted in the 25th minute by a man rushing into the field but was quickly dealt with by security forces.
One of England’s best chances came in the 16th minute when Lauren Hemp’s shot hit the crossbar. A minute later, Salma Paralluelo sprinted towards goal but couldn’t finish and Earps blocked Alba Redondo’s effort in a challenge in front of the net.
Vilda started for 19-year-old Paralluelo, who scored Spain’s breakthrough goal against Sweden, and sealed the extra-time victory over the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
Paralluelo almost scored a few seconds into the first half, but her shot hit the post. She received a yellow card in the 78th minute for a foul on Alex Greenwood who had a cut on her eye.
Hemp had another chance after 54 minutes but went wide of the post. A minute later, she received a yellow card for a foul on Laia Codina.
Spain had the opportunity to double the lead in the 68th minute after watching the video to be awarded a penalty after a handball by Keira Walsh. But Earps kept England going, as she did with a succession of belated saves.
Coach Jorge Vilda has faced a challenge working with two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, who is still struggling to bounce back from a torn ACL last year. For the final, Putellas was on the bench from the start.
Putellas started the game with 15 seconds left in regulation time, but had 13 minutes of injury time.
There were 75,784 fans in the final at the Australia Stadium, including tennis great Billie Jean King.
Last year, the two teams met in the Euro quarterfinals, with England coming back to beat Spain 2-1 in extra time thanks to a Georgia Stanway goal.
