Olga Carmona’s first-half goal helped Spain defeat England 1-0 on Sunday to win its first Women’s World Cup title in less than a year.
Spain win Women’s World Cup: La Roja became the first team to simultaneously hold the under-17, under-20, and senior world championships thanks to their triumph. Spain is the fifth champion in the Women’s World Cup’s nine iterations, joining Germany as the only two countries to win both the men’s and women’s competitions.
The Spanish players crowded together in front of their goal at the final horn. Up until the trophy presentations, they continued to dance on the pitch. At that point, they kissed the trophy and triumphantly raised their arms as golden glitter descended from the sky.
The Lionesses just missed their attempt to return the World Cup to England for the first time since 1966.
They make a great team. England captain Millie Bright said, “I believe that while in the first half we weren’t at our best, in the second half we absolutely put the fire in. However, we were unable to complete it today. The challenging thing of football is this.
The defeat, according to Bright, resulted in “a huge amount of disappointment” for England.
You initially feel like you failed when you don’t succeed, she said. “I think it will be really, really proud in a few weeks and it settles,” the speaker said.
Carmona’s left-footed strike in the 29th minute was the only goal in a game that featured a lot of attacking play.
She hoisted her jersey in jubilation, revealing the word “Merchi” written in ink on her undershirt—apparently a tribute to her old school.
Carmona became the first player since Carli Lloyd in 2015 to score in both the semifinal and final of a World Cup when she scored the game-winning goal in the 89th minute of Spain’s 2-1 semifinal triumph over Sweden.
In the 68th minute, Spain had a chance to extend their lead, but Jenni Hermoso’s penalty effort was blocked by Mary Earps, who dove perfectly to her left in anticipation.
Despite a player near-mutiny last year, Spain prevailed. In addition to demanding a more professional environment, 15 players stated they were leaving the national squad for mental health reasons.
Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmat, and Mariona Caldentey were three of those players who made amends with the federation and attended the World Cup.
England entered the competition with momentum after taking home the European Championship last summer. However, the team’s three finest players—captain Leah Williamson, Fran Kirby, and Beth Mead—were all sidelined by knee problems and did not make the World Cup roster.
The first coach to lead her teams to back-to-back World Cup championship games was Sarina Wiegman of England. She guided the Netherlands to the 2019 final but lost to the Americans 2-0. She is now winless in the title match.
England had just defeated the host nation of Australia 3-1 in the semifinal. With three goals and three assists, Lauren James led the squad in scoring but was forced to miss two games due to a suspension for stomping on Michelle Alozie of Nigeria to start the knockout stage.
James was able to play in the championship game, so Wiegman began Ella Toone and added the Chelsea winger as a substitute in the second half to bolster the assault.
The 16th minute saw one of England’s greatest opportunities when Lauren Hemp’s shot ricocheted against the crossbar. A minute later, the goal saw a sprint by Salma Paralluelo, but she couldn’t manage to take a clear shot, and in the scramble in front of the goal, Earps blocked Alba Redondo’s attempt.”
Coach Jorge Vilda started the 19-year-old Paralluelo, who scored Spain’s game-changing goal against Sweden and the extra-time winner against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. Because of her accomplishments, they named her the tournament’s young player of the year, awarded Bonmati the Golden Ball as the best World Cup player, and presented Earps with the Golden Glove for the best custodian.
Just before halftime, Paralluelo came close to scoring, but her shot struck the post.
In the 54th, Hemp had another opportunity, but his shot missed. She received a yellow card for injuring Laia Codina a minute later.
Midway through the second half, a video review gave Spain a penalty following Keira Walsh’s handball, giving them a chance to double their lead. However, Earps preserved England’s position in the match with her string of late saves.
Alexia Putellas, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner who was still recovering from tearing her ACL the previous year, presented a challenge for Vilda. Putellas started the final on the sidelines.
With 15 seconds remaining in regulation when Putellas entered the contest, there were 13 minutes of extra time.
As her teammates danced in front of the flag-waving supporters behind the team’s bench following the game, Putellas was in tears.
Tennis legend Billie Jean King was among the 75,784 spectators present for the championship game at Stadium Australia.
Last year, the two teams faced off in the quarterfinals of the Euros, with Georgia Stanway’s goal helping England come from behind to defeat Spain 2-1 in overtime.