IZHAR KHAN / AFP
The FIFA Women’s World Cup final pitted Spain against England
FOOTBALL – They put the Lionesses in a cage. Spain won this Sunday, August 20, the Women’s World Cup in the final which took place in Sydney, Australia. The match ended 1-0, a huge disappointment for England and their genius coach Sarina Wiegman.
The reds, led by the controversial Jorge Vilda, and who were only playing their third in the world, had set the pace from the start of the first half. Very present in the penalty area Salma Paraluello struggled to find the net, it was finally captain Olga Carmona who found the solution shortly before the half hour mark.
The English reaction was then conspicuous by its relative absence… The selection of the rose struggled in the first period, despite a fine strike from Lauren Hemp which touched the bar fifteen minutes into the game.
Offering little respite, the Spaniards ended the first 46 minutes with a missed chance inches from Paraluello.
A save from Earps revives the English
The second half smiled a little more on the English. If Hemp received a yellow card in the 54th minute, the arrival of substitutes Kelly and Russo allowed a more attacking game for the Lionesses. The latter occupied the Spanish surface more easily but without their strikes finding the skylight before the hour mark.
The game could have changed after a handball from Keira Walsh which resulted in a penalty. It will still take three long minutes of stoppage and the VAR before it is whistled. La Roja’s top scorer, Jennifer Hermoso unfortunately could not escape the expert hands of Earps, the English goalkeeper who started on the right side.
In the same way, Lauren James the number 10 failed to fool the goalkeeper of La Roja on a superb shot on target in the 75th. Disturbed by the English offensive? The Spaniards saw Paralluelo pick up a yellow card, the first in the family for Jorge Vilda’s side, after a foul on Alex Greenwood. A warning like a game that got tense for the next 10 minutes.
Numerous stoppages led to additional time of 13 minutes, which notably saw the entry of Alexia Putellas. While closing ranks in defence, Spain continued to offer great opportunities.
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