Spain secured its spot in the Women’s World Cup championship for the first time thanks to Olga Carmona’s 89th-minute goal, which propelled La Roja to a 2-1 triumph over Sweden in the Tuesday semifinal.
Spain, a team that confronted player dissent against coach Jorge Vilda last year, will now contend in the final in Sydney on Sunday against the winner of the tournament co-hosts, Australia and England.
The controversy surrounding Spain traces back to September of last year when 15 players penned a letter expressing grievances about Vilda and the conditions of the national team. Remarkably, three of those players are part of the current World Cup squad. However, Vilda, just a day before the game against Sweden, commended the Spanish federation for its unwavering support.
Now, La Roja stands on the brink of becoming World Cup champions for the first time in their history.
FIFA ranks Spain sixth in the world, and their victory over third-ranked Sweden solidifies them as the second-highest-ranked team left in the tournament, with only England, ranked fourth globally, ahead of them.
“This is a momentous day,” exclaimed Vilda. “Reaching the final is precisely what we aimed for.”
Sweden, on the other hand, has now stumbled in four out of five semifinals and will compete for third place for the fourth time.
“I need to review the game thoroughly before I can provide any assessments,” remarked Sweden’s coach, Peter Gerhardsson. “At this moment, emotions are running high. This marks the third semifinal loss. I believe everyone is grappling with profound sadness and overwhelming disappointment.”
Late Drama Sees Spain Clinch Victory in Thrilling Fashion
In a dramatic turn of events, Carmona’s goal marked the climax of a late-game scoring frenzy. Sweden managed to level the game, only for Spain to snatch victory a mere 90 seconds later in an unexpected twist.
Salma Paralluelo, the 19-year-old super-sub who previously sealed Spain’s 2-1 extra-time quarterfinal victory over the Netherlands, broke the deadlock in the 81st minute. She urged the crowd to cheer, and the fans initially believed they were celebrating Spain’s decisive moment.
However, the joy was short-lived as Rebecca Blomqvist equalized for Sweden in the 88th minute.
Then, in a lightning-quick response, Carmona found the back of the net, beating Sweden’s goalkeeper Zecira Musovic with the game-winning goal.
“It was an overwhelming feeling when we scored, and perhaps we thought we were heading for extra time,” remarked Gerhardsson. “But just a little over a minute later, the tables turned once again. That’s the nature of the game.”
Parallels acknowledged that Spain faced a challenging task in bouncing back after Sweden’s equalizer.
“It was an incredibly tough match. It might have been hard to recover from their goal, but we’ve demonstrated that this team can handle anything,” said Paralluelo. “We earned this victory. We’ve taken that crucial step, and now we need to give it one final push.”
Originally posted 2023-09-18 14:49:36.
