Spain dominates England to win unprecedented World Cup title

For the first time in its history, Spain is champion of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

In a game where the Spanish team dominated England, midfielder Olga Carmona scored the only goal of the match and secured the unprecedented title for her team. The match took place this Sunday morning at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, Australia. The capacity of the stadium was maximum, with 75,784 fans present.

Twenty years later, two European teams faced each other again in a World Cup final. The game was controlled by Spain from the first minutes and the score was only not higher due to the great performance of the English goalkeeper Mary Earps. In the first half, a confrontation with clear Spanish dominance.

England even started the game with good chances and reached the opposing area with a large volume of players. In the 15th minute, a shot on the crossbar by England animated the match. On the edge of the penalty area, Lauren Hemp slapped the ball which kissed the top post and went wide. The Spanish goalkeeper Coll was out of play.

Despite the chance created, England’s game did not flow. The Spanish pressure did not allow them to exchange passes and, when they lost the ball, they were punished with the speed of the Spanish players. Salma Paralluelo, a Spanish jewel who was making her first start in the World Cup, was a nightmare for the English defense on the wing.

Two minutes after Hemp’s kick, Spain responded. In a quick play on the wing, the ball crossed to Paralluelo who, in the small area, ended up kicking the ball wrong. The ball deflects off defender Millie Bright and goes over to Alba Redondo, who ends up weakly finishing in the direction of Mary Earps.

The game heated up and became a take-a-way, with Spain and England creating good chances, but failing to finish. In the 28th minute, however, Spanish captain Olga Carmona scored the first goal of the match. After stealing the ball in the English midfield, she received a sugary pass from Mariona at the edge of the area and, with a low cross shot, did not give the goalkeeper any chances. Spain converted its superiority into an advantage on the scoreboard.

At the end of the first half, Paralluelo still hit the ball on the post and almost scored the second goal, but the selections went to the break with a score of 1 to 0. In the second half, Sarina Wiegman moved the team and made it more offensive. Left-back Daly was brought on by forward Chloe Kelly and, for the first time since the Round of 16, Lauren James returned to the pitch. The attacker was suspended for two games after assaulting a Nigerian player for free during the match.

Despite the changes, Spanish pressure continued. With an engaging exchange of passes, Spain almost reached the second goal with Mariona. Four minutes into the second half, the Earps goalkeeper had to work to avoid the new Spanish goal. In the 14th minute, Vilda removed striker Redondo and brought in defender Oihane Hernández.

Spain continued to press and in the 18th minute, they had the golden chance to kill the match. After the Spanish attack, VAR called referee Tori Pensa for a possible penalty. In the images, the judge observed an unassuming hand touch by the Englishwoman Keira Walsh and had no doubt: she marked the maximum penalty. On the ball, Hermoso takes a bad shot and Mary Earps flies to save the penalty. England were still in the match.

Lauren James was looking for the game and even managed to create interesting plays, but the English team stopped at the Spanish defense or goalkeeper Cata Coll. The game was stopped for a few minutes for Greenwood to attend to, who was injured after clashing with Paralluelo. The Spanish striker was yellowed by the move. At 44 minutes, Alexia Putellas entered the field. The best player in the world did not have a good World Cup, but her name was celebrated by the Spanish fans in the stadium.

Due to the numerous stoppages throughout the game, there were 13 minutes of added time. Spain, however, continued to dominate the game and just didn’t extend the score because of great defenses by Earps, who once again saved England. None of the teams managed to create good chances in the period of additions and, when the whistle sounded, Spain were consecrated champions.