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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Andrew Gastelum

Spain Advances to First Women’s World Cup Final With Exhilarating Win vs. Sweden

Sweden Spain World Cup Olga Carmona La Roja Rebecka Blomqvist Salma Paralluelo Australia England Fox Soccer

Riding a thrilling end to the first of two Women’s World Cup semifinals, Spain advanced to its first-ever final with a 2–1 win over Sweden. 

What started as 80 minutes of tense deadlock turned into an exhilarating grand finale that featured three goals in the final 10 minutes. It was Olga Carmona who played the hero, scoring the match-winner in the 89th minute.

Despite holding more than 60% of possession, Spain didn’t register a shot on target until the final 10 minutes. After scoring the winning goal in extra time in the quarterfinal against the Netherlands, Salma Paralluelo came up with another clutch strike for Spain. 

Coming on in the second half for an ineffective Alexia Putellas, the 19-year-old lurked in the penalty area during a scramble in front of goal, waiting until the ball ricocheted to her before silencing it into the back of the net. 

But Sweden would strike back in the 88th minute thanks to Rebecka Blomqvist. With Sweden dominating the aerial game throughout the tournament, it was no surprise that the equalizer came off a headed-down cross in the area. Blomqvist then stepped to the chance and scored with technical finesse to level things at 1–1. 

Just a minute later, Carmona scored the winner, rocketing a chance from outside the box that star Sweden keeper Zećira Mušović could only glance. The ball then clipped the bottom of the crossbar and dropped in, sending La Roja into a furious celebration.

For Sweden, it was the nation’s fourth semifinal exit at the Women’s World Cup. Meanwhile, Spain came into the tournament with only one win in Women’s World Cup history. Now, the team finds itself just one win away from glory when it faces either England or Australia on Sunday.

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