After a month of action in New Zealand and Australia, a champion was finally crowned. The Spanish National Team lifted the World Cup in Sydney courtesy of their 1-0 over England.
Spain’s World Cup run kicked off with wins over Costa Rica and Zambia in the group stage. However, they failed to win the group after losing to Japan 4-0 in the last match of the stage. With this defeat, Spain found themselves counted out by many heading into the knockout stages. Spain responded to the doubters swiftly, defeating Switzerland 5-1.
A pair of 2-1 victories over the Netherlands and Sweden kept the Spanish hopes alive as they reached their first World Cup Final in Women’s National Team history.
Their English opponents won every match of their World Cup journey until the finals. The Lionesses swept through the group stage defeating Haiti, Denmark, and China in turn. Though England faced difficulties in their victory on penalties over Nigeria and their 2-1 win over Colombia, they fought through to a semi-final victory against Australia to clinch their place in the World Cup Final against the Spanish National Team.
Spain Controls England in 1-0 Victory
With both Spain and England seeking their first Women’s World Cup victory, the drama of the final felt tangible from the opening whistle. Both England and Spain saw early chances in the contest. Lauren Hemp nearly put England ahead but the crossbar denied her.
Spain answered with an attempt of their own that Mary Earps managed to save. However, Earps couldn’t keep the Spanish National Team off the board. Spain’s late-game semi-final hero, Olga Carmona, found the net once again.
From there, La Roja controlled much of the contest. England attempted to claw their way back into the match but the Lionesses struggled to find momentum. Spain controlled possession for the remainder of the first half.
England subbed in Chloe Kelly and Lauren James at the half but the second half went much the same as the first. Spain controlled the action with England often on the back foot. A penalty taken by Jenni Hermoso nearly doubled Spain’s lead but Mary Earps made yet another save to keep England’s hopes alive.
The Lionesses, however, were unable to mount much of an attack. Olga Carmona’s one goal proved enough and the Spanish National Team lifted the World Cup in Sydney.
The victory added to Spain’s rich soccer history while England’s hopes of football coming home were dashed once more. Spain will look to build on their victory when the Women’s World Cup rolls back around in 2027.
Meanwhile, in the third-place match, Sweden controlled Australia en route to a 2-0 victory. After a month of excitement in Australia and New Zealand, the wait begins for the next incredible tournament.