2023-08-15 15:22:00
Spain’s Olga Carmona (centre) scored the 2-1 winner against Sweden, Olympic silver medalists, shortly before the end.
Photo: imago/Kim Price
Cata Coll grabbed the last ball in the New Zealand drizzle with the determination of a chasing panther. The Spanish goalkeeper, at FC Barcelona otherwise only the representative of Sandra Paños, who continues to boycott the national team, rose high in the air to intercept the last cross. Seconds later, Spain’s first entry into the final of a women’s World Cup after the hard-fought 2-1 win over Sweden was perfect.
Winning goalscorer Olga Carmona immediately collapsed on the lawn at Auckland’s Eden Park crying. That the Real Madrid left-back, in charge of the captain’s armband, decided a semi-final with a late goal seemed surreal even to the winners. However, the high shot from the outstretched hand of the imperfect Swedish goalkeeper Zećira Mušović found it just under the bar in the 89th minute.
“It’s a historic moment. We are very happy. We played with all our souls,” said coach Jorge Vilda proudly. Later at the press conference, the 42-year-old pointed out “that we have rewarded ourselves after so many years of work in the association and in the clubs”. The 42-year-old has been with the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for almost half his life, first coaching the U19s before taking over the senior team in 2015.
Last late summer, 15 players made serious allegations against the association and Vilda and complained about a lack of professionalism. This hurts the coach noticeably in his sense of honor. He only brought back three of the former rebels for the World Cup. Maybe that’s why Vilda is cheering much more enthusiastically than before at this tournament. He now feels “goosebumps” before the final, regardless of whether it’s against Australia or England, who will play Spain’s final opponents this Wednesday.
The fact that the Spanish squad, which is so thin, can also win the World Cup trophy is not as great a miracle as one might think. Hardly any other nation has trained so many skilled players over several generations: The right mixture is almost served on a silver platter. There are experienced corset rods like Jennifer Hermoso or Irene Paredes, who now want to crown a long career with many hardships. In addition, there are first-class creative forces such as Aitana Bonmatí, who is in her prime as a female footballer. And talents like Salma Paralluelo are growing and the future belongs to them.
As in the quarterfinals against the Netherlands (2-1 aet), the 19-year-old scored once again as a substitute (81′). »I feel very strong emotions. We have a great team that can do everything and has mastered one challenge after the other,” said Paralluelo, who was voted “Player of the Game” and who had also pursued a promising career as an athlete when she was young. It would actually be a crime not to line up the sky striker in the final from the start.
Against the Olympic silver medalist Sweden, world footballer Alexia Putellas was once again given preference, who was hardly able to set any accents in the first hour of a tough struggle without many goal area scenes. The fact that the star player then had to make room for her young club colleague was logical. Only with Paralluelo’s zest for action and speed did the »Seleccion« get rolling. But her powerful shot to make it 1-0 did not decide the dramatic game in front of 43,217 eyewitnesses.
It spoke for the indomitable will and the tactical discipline of the Scandinavians that their cunning coach Peter Gerhardsson pulled his joker out of his sleeve. A co-production of substitute Lina Hurtig as assist provider and Rebecka Blomqvist as executor promptly led to 1: 1 (87th). However, this remarkable equalization was not enough for the extension. ‘It’s really hard right now. I don’t know what to say,” said Amanda Ilestedt, by far the best Swedish World Cup player, shortly after leaving ZDF.
While the defender almost desperately struggled for the right words, top performer Fridolina Rolfö, who had also played in Germany for a long time, allowed her new teammates from FC Barcelona to persuade her to swap jerseys in order to create a harmonious final picture together with the Spaniards. Ultimately, the Swedes have to shake their disappointment out of their clothes quickly in order to see the game for third place on Saturday in Brisbane as a possible reconciliation.
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