Women's World Cup: Spain beat Sweden to go through to final
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Spain are through to their first World Cup final after beating tournament-favourites Sweden in Auckland, New Zealand.
Fans had to sit through a nervy 80 minutes of football before 19-year-old Salma Paralluelo broke the deadlock for Spain.
Her goal was enough to wake up the crowd and the opposition, as Sweden's Rebecka Blomqvist snatched her chance to level the score, 1-1.
However, just as Sweden's players were settling back into their rhythm, Spain's Olga Carmona hit an amazing long-range effort off the bar and into the back of the net.
There were scenes of Spanish delight and Swedish devastation on the pitch as the final whistle went, with the match finishing 2-1.
Spain have now reached their first final at only their third World Cup - having never won a group game before.
La Roja are already under-17 and under-20 World Cup champions but the nation's build-up to this this tournament has been rocky.
In September 2022, 15 first team players were removed from the national squad in a feud with the leadership.
They said they didn't like the way the side was being run, accusing the head coach Jorge Vilda of bad management and poor training techniques.
Now, the side will play either England or Australia in the final in Sydney on Sunday.
What did you think of the match? Who do you want to see in the final? Let us know in the comments below...
- Published18 July 2023
- Published15 August 2023