SYDNEY: In the Final, Spain clinched their first-ever victory in the Women’s World Cup as skipper Olga Carmona swept in the sole goal for a well-deserved 1-0 win over England.
At Sydney’s Stadium Australia, with a crowd of nearly 76,000 in attendance, Spain displayed superior skills and created more opportunities, even missing a penalty in the second half.
Jorge Vilda and the Spanish football federation’s decision to stick with the coach, despite 15 players expressing last year that they no longer wished to represent the country under him, was validated by Spain’s triumph.
England’s coach, Sarina Wiegman, who now faced consecutive losses in the final, and her European champions had few grounds for complaint.
Spain became the fifth team to claim the World Cup
Spain became the fifth team to claim the World Cup since the tournament’s inception in 1991, joining outgoing champions the United States, Germany, Norway, and Japan.
Before Spain’s Queen Letizia, defender Carmona netted the decisive goal, surging from left-back to smash the ball low and hard into the net on the 29th minute.
Wiegman had resisted the urge to recall Chelsea attacker Lauren James after her two-match suspension and kept faith with the squad that had defeated co-hosts Australia 3-1 in the semifinals.
Wearing their blue second kit, England had their first glimpse of a chance in the fifth minute, but Lauren Hemp’s shot at goalkeeper Cata Coll lacked power.
In the initial exchanges, there was little separating the two sides before both teams had prime opportunities at the quarter-hour mark.
First, Manchester City forward Hemp hit the crossbar with a curling shot that had Coll well beaten.
Spain then had a chance at the other end, but Salma Paralluelo, replacing Alexia Putellas, missed the ball in the six-yard box.
Subsequently, Alba Redondo fired a first-time shot straight at goalkeeper Mary Earps despite the open England goal.
Hemp later had another feeble effort saved, and the match was momentarily halted in the 24th minute when a spectator dashed onto the field before being subdued by security.
Five minutes later, Spain, who had never won a knockout game at the Women’s World Cup until this tournament and had suffered a 4-0 defeat to Japan in the group stage, took the lead.
Mariona Caldentey delivered an immaculate pass to Carmona, who surged down the left unmarked before driving the ball into the bottom corner.
Vilda, who brought back three of the 15 dissenters for the World Cup, displayed no signs of celebration on the sidelines.
England appeared unusually unsettled, and the 19-year-old Barcelona attacker Paralluelo, a consistent threat, narrowly missed the post with the last kick of the half.
Hermoso fails from spot
At halftime, Wiegman, who endured disappointment in the final four years ago when her Netherlands team lost 2-0 to the United States, made a double substitution.
James and Chloe Kelly replaced Rachel Daly and Alessia Russo, as Wiegman shifted from a back-five to a flat back-four.
However, it was Spain who nearly extended their lead shortly after halftime, as Caldentey skillfully maneuvered inside and forced Earps to tip the ball around the post.
Hemp received a booking for clipping Laia Codina as England’s frustration escalated.
Midfield strategist Aitana Bonmati, one of the standout players of the tournament and one of the three recalled by Vilda, narrowly fired over Earps’s crossbar.
With 20 minutes remaining, the referee awarded Spain a penalty through VAR intervention, and after a prolonged review, they judged that Keira Walsh had handled the ball in the box.
Jennifer Hermoso took the penalty, but her shot was weak, and Earps made a comfortable save to keep England’s hopes alive.
At the end, officials indicated 13 minutes of added time, but if anything, it was Spain who appeared more likely to score as England’s aspirations of a first World Cup victory slipped away.
