2023-08-20 14:03:07
Spain won the 2023 World Cup final 1-0 against England. Its captain Olga Carmona scored the winning goal, allowing La Roja to lift the trophy for the first time in their history.
Published on: 08/20/2023 – 14:03Modified on: 08/20/2023 – 14:55
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The best attack of the Mondial-2023 (18 goals) is crowned world champion. Spain won the FIFA World Cup final against England on Sunday, August 20. A first trophy which consecrates the emergence of women’s football in the Iberian nation since one of its clubs, FC Barcelona, also won the Champions League this year.
It only took three editions (2015, 2019, 2023) for La Roja to take off on the roof of the world. Jostled before the World Cup by extra-sporting storms between the players and the federation and especially the coach Jorge Vilda, the Spaniards beat the English, favorites, to become world champions for the first time in their history.
The youth, creativity and Spanish passing game took precedence over the experience and phlegm of the English, far from their usual serenity.
After two lost semi-finals, the English, crowned European champions last year, also played their first World Cup final, but missed the last step. Sarina Wiegman’s players failed to bring back this world title that England has been waiting for since the men’s world title in 1966. As in 2019 with the Netherlands, the coach finished vice-world champion, after a title European.
Read alsoSarina Wiegman, England’s “final lady”, finally hopes for a world title
Olga Carmona’s teammates have followed the path of the youngest, after the U17 and U20 world titles in 2022. These three titles were also won by the nugget Salma Paralluelo, aged 19, established Sunday evening and still twirling without having been decisive.
In a first period, disturbed by the incursion of a spectator with a “Free Ukraine” t-shirt on the field and where spaces were often found, the Spaniards took advantage of an error by the English defender of FC Barcelona Lucy Bronze, who lost the ball in the center circle.
A goal from Captain Carmona
Perfectly shifted to the left, the 23-year-old Spanish captain, Olga Carmona, crossed her shot directly low to the ground and deceived Mary Earps (29th). It was she who had already scored the winning goal in the semi-final against Sweden (2-1)
A few minutes before, Lauren Hemp, brilliant on the British side, had found the crossbar of Cata Coll (16th) after a good movement. On the other hand, the Spaniards had also been very close to opening the scoring, Salma Paralluelo missing her recovery at close range (17th).
Even in a new system put in place by Sarina Wiegman on returning from the locker room, the English continued to be in difficulty, in particular because of the Spanish leader Aitana Bonmati (50th), and author of a powerful strike just above the bar (62nd).
Mary Earps managed to keep her teammates alive by stopping a penalty, whistled for a handball from Keira Walsh in the box by the VAR and badly shot by Jennifer Hermoso, who missed her second attempt in this exercise at the World Cup, after a first failure against Costa Rica.
Shaken by the game and the technique of La Roja, the English could not count on Lauren James, back from suspension after her bad gesture against Nigeria, even if she was not far from deceiving Cata Coll (76th) .
Until then, Spain had never even won a knockout match at a World Cup and this feat is even more impressive given the extra-sporting context of the selection.
Vilda, hated coach
La Roja experienced an earthquake that threatened the emergence of its women’s team, after fifteen internationals announced in September 2022 that they no longer wanted to play again for the selection. Sources quoted in the local press spoke of the methods deemed “dictatorial” by Jorge Vilda.
But the technician, supported by his Federation during this unprecedented crisis, remained. And he has retained his legitimacy through a series of exceptional results, marked by this historic title.
Since then, three of the 15 “rebels” have returned for the World Cup and one of them, Barça midfielder Aitana Bonmati, was also among the best players of the tournament, making the Golden Ball Alexia forget. Putellas, physically inside and back at the end of the match (90th).
She showed character, pushing her teammates to calmness, in a tense end to the match and broken by faults. Her very good World Cup makes Aitana Bonmati the favorite for the future Ballon d’Or, in addition to her trophy as the best player of the tournament.
Finally, it should be noted that the rising star of La Roja who hesitated a year ago between athletics and football, Barcelona’s Salma Paralluelo, was voted the best young player of the tournament by Fifa.
With AFP
Read alsoPORTRAIT – Mondial-2023: with Salma Paralluelo, value does not wait for the number of years
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