Spain defeated England 1-0 to win their first-ever Women's World Cup: Spain became the first European team to win the Women's World Cup since Germany in 2007.
Afterplayer protests, Spain beat England 1-0 on Sunday thanks to a goal by Olga
Carmona, giving them their first Women's World Cup victory in less than a year.
La Roja
became the fifth winner in the Women's World Cup's nine editions with this
triumph, becoming the first team to win the Under-17, Under-20, and Senior
World Cup crowns in the same year. The only two nations to have won both the
men's and women's tournaments are now Spain and Germany.
Spanish
athletes hugged each other in front of their individual goals as the final horn
sounded. They kept dancing on the field up until the award presentation, and
they freely raised their arms and kissed the trophy as golden confetti rained.
In front
of 75,784 people at Stadium Australia, the Lionesses tried to bring the World
Cup back to England for the first time since 1966, but they were unsuccessful.
Spain
beat England 1-0 to take home the first Women's World Cup trophy. Thanks to a
goal by captain Olga Carmona, Spain defeated England 1-0 to win the Women's
World Cup in Sydney, Australia.
Spain
won the Women's World Cup for the first time after defeating England 1-0 thanks
to a goal from captain Olga Carmona in the opening period.
Just a
few months prior, La Roja rebelled against manager Jorge Vilda, and they lost
to Japan 4-0 in the group stage. However, they defeated England to win their
first major championship in their third World Cup.
Spain's
midfield was well-managed by Etienne Bonmati and Teresa Abelleira, and the
result would have been different if England's goalkeeper Mary Earps hadn't
saved a penalty in the second half.
Since taking over as Serena Wiegman's coach, England had only lost twice in 39 games, preventing them from adding a World Cup victory to their European Championship victory from the previous year.
The two
first-time finalists, England and Spain, enjoyed the upper hand in the opening
exchanges of the first Women's World Cup final without the United States or
Germany.
Forward Lauren Hemp continued where she left off in the fifth minute with a shot that went over the crossbar. Lauren Hemp had left Australia in the semifinal, where she had scored.
With Carmona overlapping from the left and sending the ball beyond Earps' reach, Spain soon answered. Khiari Salah Peraluelo struggled to make touch, and Earps stopped Alba Redondo's long-range attempt.
Just 30 minutes into the match, La Roja seized the lead after falling behind in midfield. Abelleira made a beautiful cross-field pass to Mariona Caldentey, who then sent the ball to Carmona.
Her shot passed over Earps' fingers and into the far corner of the net as she moved to the left.
Spain performed better in the second half, and it appeared as though the goal had put an end to England's offense. Paralluelo's shot just before halftime hit the post.
Just 30 minutes before the final, La Roja took the lead after England trailed in midfield. Abelleira threw a beautiful cross-field pass to Mariona Caldentey, who then passed the ball to Carmona in the offensive zone.
La Roja gained the lead just 30 minutes before the final, forcing England to come from behind after falling behind in midfield. Abelleira threw a beautiful cross-field pass to Mariona Caldentey, who then passed the ball to Carmona in the offensive zone.
With Carmona overlapping from the left and sending the ball beyond Earps' reach, Spain soon answered. Khiari Salah Peraluelo struggled to make touch, and Earps stopped Alba Redondo's long-range attempt.
Just 30
minutes into the match, La Roja seized the lead after falling behind in
midfield. Abelleira made a beautiful cross-field pass to Mariona Caldentey, who
then sent the ball to Carmona.
Her shot passed over Earps' fingers and into the far corner of the net as she moved to the left. Spain played better in the second half as it appeared that the goal had clinched England's fate. Paralluelo's shot just before the break hit the post.
After falling behind in the middle of the field, England attempted to come back, but La Roja took the lead barely 30 minutes before the final. Abelleira threw a beautiful cross-field pass to Mariona Caldentey, who then passed the ball to Carmona in the offensive zone.
Her shot passed over Earps' fingers and into the far corner of the net as she moved to the left. Just minutes after the hour mark, Bonmati scored a long-range goal, and Spain kept up the pressure on England's goalkeeper Keira Walsh, who vigorously argued for a handball on their subsequent trip into the box.
Giving a
penalty seemed to be a formality when referee Tori Penso asked VAR to review
the video, but Earp dove to her left to block Jennifer Hermoso's spot-kick.
Cata Coll, the Spanish goalkeeper, leaped to tip James' shot over the bar in the 75th minute, but Spain wasn't content with their advantage, and with 90 seconds left, Earps had to make her greatest save to keep Ona Battle off the scoreboard.
In extra
time, England sent all 11 players forward for a corner, but Coll, who was
playing in just her fourth international match, calmly came out to grab the
ball. 13 minutes of added time were announced, but if anything were to happen,
Spain appeared more likely to score, destroying England's hopes of winning
their first World Cup.
"We knew it would be difficult; it was really challenging," claims Carmona. I think it was our game, despite England's superb team. We had faith that we would carry out this strategy. The captain of England, Millie Bright, seemed defeated following the loss.
"It's
hard. They make a great team. In the first half, we didn't play to our full
potential. In the second half, we began the conflict. We were unable to finish
it today. It's a challenging aspect of football, she remarked.
"The feelings are strong. a great deal of disappointment. heartache galore. We came up short. When everything is finished, we'll be extremely proud in several weeks. The opportunity to be present today is unique.
