Sweden, the penultimate historical barrier that separates Spain from the final

2023-08-14 16:53:41

It is the fate of this Spanish women’s team to make history. Spain had never surpassed a knockout round in a major tournament and succeeded, it had never sneaked into the eight best teams in the world and not only did it but it has also accessed the exclusive Olympus of the semifinals. Now, this group of pioneers, who, as the forecasts suggested, are destined to take Spanish women’s football to another level, dreams of the first grand final, nothing more and nothing less than a World Cup.

This generation of talented players who, in the antipodes, have turned early mornings into a sweet routine for the Spanish fan faces the penultimate barrier. Only Sweden separates Spain from the biggest game of all, the one that makes an athlete immortal. The Scandinavian team is a classic that faces the fifth World Cup semifinal in its history. Until now, they have not had much luck at this point in the tournament, since only in 2003 did they reach the last game, the one that decides the title, after the defeats in 1991, 2011 and 2019.

Their success rate in the semifinals is not very high, but their experience in a round that Spain had not touched until now says a lot about the Swedish tradition and track record. It is one of the greats, since only the two hegemonic powers, the United States and Germany, accumulate more points in the history of the World Cups.

Spain, a team without that weight but with football arguments and ambition to aspire to everything, is not intimidated by the past. They are here to continue making history and for this they will have to defeat a rival against whom La Roja has not won in their own ten matches. It is true that except for the tie to one in October 2022 in a friendly played in Córdoba, the rest of the previous duels date back to the nineties, a time in which the distance between the two teams was abysmal.

That tie from less than a year ago at the Nuevo Arcángel in the city of Caliphate is the closest precedent and the most appropriate thermometer to analyze this face-off in the semifinals that promises plenty of emotion.

Vilda seems to have definitely hit the key after the setback against Japan on the last day of the group stage. The Spanish coach repeated eleven in the round of 16 and quarterfinals with the exception of the change between Mariona Caldentey, starter against the Netherlands, and Salma Paralluelo, who came on from the bench after starting against Switzerland and now wins integers after being the heroine of qualifying for the semis with his goal in overtime.

Ilestedt, the scoring defense

The electric winger from Barça is now aiming for the starting eleven along with Esther González, classic striker, and Alba Redondo. From behind, the midfield that shone in the win against the Dutch team will continue to be Jenni Hermoso, Aitana Bonmatí, who seems to have recovered from some discomfort, and Teresa Abelleira, the trio that sets the tone for the Spanish possession game. In the rear, Ona Batlle, Laia Codina and Irene Paredes seem consolidated, although the loss of Oihane Hernández due to suspension opens the doors of ownership for Olga Carmona. All of them will act ahead of Cata Coll, who has assumed the low-stick baton in the elimination round with good tone.

Opposite, one of the greats with some other acquaintances from Spanish football. Barça attacker Fridolina Rolfo or former Real Madrid striker Kosovare Asllani, now at Milan, are two of the resources of a Swedish team in which defense Amanda Ilestedt shines with her own light. The Arsenal footballer is a defender with the soul of a goalscorer who even fights for the World Cup Golden Boot with her four goals in the tournament. Neutralizing the great threat of her passing game will be one of the keys for Spain to break down yet another historical barrier and be one step away from glory.