The Spanish Women National Team won the Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history with Olga Carmona scoring the only goal for a deserved 1-0 victory over Lionesses in Sunday’s final.
The Lionesses had set their sights on achieving a historic feat. becoming the first England senior team since the 1966 men’s squad to secure a World Cup victory. However, their aspirations were blown by a vibrant and creative Spanish side that outplayed them on the field.
The Spanish team secured their place in history by becoming the fifth team to win the World Cup trophy since the tournament’s inception in 1991. They now join the prestigious ranks of outgoing champions in the United States of America, Germany, Norway, and Japan.
In an electrifying moment witnessed by Spain’s Queen Letizia, defender Carmona etched her name in the annals of the game. Charging forward from the left-back position, she unleashed a thunderous strike into the net, sealing her team’s fate as the victors at the 29-minute mark.
Lionesses goalkeeper Earps kept England in the final when she denied Spain Hermoso from the penalty spot, guessing right after a lengthy VAR check penalized a handball from Keira Walsh.
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The Lionesses were motivated but couldn’t get their way past a resilient Spain defense.
If anything were to happen, the Spanish team had a better chance to score the next goal as time ticked away. Only a flying Jess Carter block denied Hermoso, while Earps outwitted former clubmate Batlle to save with her feet.
England player ratings (3-4-1-2)
GK: Mary Earps – 8/10 –
She made a crucial early save, denying Redondo in a situation where it seemed easier for the Spanish forward to find the back of the net. Her heroics didn’t stop there; she single-handedly kept her team in the match with a series of remarkable stops, including a crucial one from the penalty spot.
CB: Jess Carter – 8/10 –
She showed her diversity by switching to left-back after the interval. Also made a brilliant block in the 89th minute to deny Spain from scoring.
CB: Millie Bright (c) – 6/10 – made some commanding display to hold the pace of Spanish players
CB: Alex Greenwood – 7/10 – held her own side of the game and was excellent in possession.
RM: Lucy Bronze – 4/10 – she made a mistake in the midfield that led to the first goal and she never seemed to recover from that.
CM: Georgia Stanway – 7/10 – She was defensively good in midfield and covered well for the center-backs when they needed help.
CM: Keira Walsh – 6/10 – While it was unfortunate that she conceded a penalty, it’s hard to dispute the decision based on the letter of the game. However, it must be noted that she didn’t display her usual level of influence in the game.
LM: Rachel Daly – 6/10 – She Had a tough time defensively, as she was always outnumbered in the defense, but she did great when going forward.
ST: Alessia Russo – 5/10 – Worked hard to create chances but couldn’t keep up with the pace of Spain.
ST: Lauren Hemp – 7/10 – Had a chance to put the game at level, but the ball struck the crossbar; she was a threat throughout the game.
Substitutes
Lauren James – 6/10 –
Replaced Russo at the break. Forced the Spanish goalkeeper into a fantastic save but didn’t showcase her talent as much as usual.
Chloe Kelly – 6/10 –
Came on for Daly at half-time and was a spark in England’s team and made impact.
Bethany England N/A –
Was introduced late on, without much time to make an impact in the game.
