Spain have reached their first Women’s World Cup final after beating Sweden 2-1 in a dramatic semi‑final in front of more than 43,000 spectators at Auckland’s Eden Park.
The teenage winger Salma Paralluelo impressed from the bench once more to give Jorge Vilda’s side the lead with 10 minutes to play. Sweden levelled through Rebecka Blomqvist’s fine finish but, with extra time looming, the Spain captain, Olga Carmona, struck a last-minute winner to ensure they made history.
As the final whistle blew, Sweden dropped to their knees in despair while the Spanish side celebrated around them. Vilda’s team now await the winner of the match on Wednesday between Australia and England in the tournament’s showpiece on Sunday.
“I’m proud of my team and of what we’ve achieved,” Vilda said. “We’re extremely happy. If you go into the dressing room now, it’s incredible how they’re celebrating … We’re going to Sydney tomorrow and we want to win.”
The Spain head coach has garnered plenty of attention due to the unrest that has consumed his team over the last year. While disquiet off the field remains, however, results on the pitch have told a different story. A 4-0 defeat by Japan in the group stage is the only blemish on their card in this tournament.
That setback led to Vilda making wholesale changes to his team and he made two more on this occasion. While the recall of Carmona was forced, returning for the suspended Oihane Hernández, Vilda brought in Alexia Putellas for Esther González. The two-time Ballon d’Or winner has played limited minutes, still recovering from the anterior cruciate ligament injury she picked up last summer. It was a roll of the dice from Vilda, leaving the young sensation Paralluelo on the bench.
Peter Gerhardsson opted to leave his Sweden lineup unchanged from their quarter-final against Japan. This was Sweden’s fifth Women’s World Cup semi-final, and they were hoping to avoid becoming the first team to lose four times at this stage of the competition.
It was a first half that simmered with potential but little finesse. Both sides were clearly nervous, knowing they were 90 minutes away from playing on the biggest stage of all. Spain, as expected, dominated possession but struggled to break down a well-drilled Sweden team who dropped into a traditional 4-4-2 formation out of possession, banking up defensively.
Chances inevitably came for Vilda’s team as they advanced closer to the box, but they lacked the clinical touch. Alba Redondo was Spain’s most involved player early on, buzzing around the right flank and living up to her form of three goals and one assist so far this tournament. Spain’s rhythm and quality, however, were disrupted by a series of niggly fouls that made it a stop-start affair.
Sweden’s counterattacking threat is well known and the pace of Johanna Rytting Kaneryd was causing concern. The Blågult finished the half strongly and forced the only save of the first 45 minutes. Nathalie Björn cut out a ball on the right and swung in a cross towards the advancing Fridolina Rolfö at the back post. The Barcelona star caught it on the stretch, but her clubmate Catalina Coll made a fine stop to parry it wide.
There was more urgency from both teams in the second half, each desperately seeking to avoid adding a second draining period of extra time to some already tired legs. Stina Blackstenius had an angled shot saved while Redondo inexplicably fired wide of an open goal.
The game burst into life in the final 10 minutes, a blockbuster finish in front of a riveted crowd. The introduction of Paralluelo changed the game for Spain as she replaced the struggling Putellas. The 19-year-old brought renewed energy to proceedings with her pace and technical ability. It was fitting that she put her team ahead, pouncing with the kind of clinical finish that had been lacking.
Having scored her first World Cup goal after coming on against the Netherlands, the Barcelona forward was delighted to make an impact for a second time. “It was a magic moment once again,” she said. “It’s something that’s very unique when I scored that first goal and to be able to repeat this is really incredible.”
Sweden were not about to give in quite yet. They threw everyone forward in search of a leveller and thought they had sent the game to extra time with two minutes to play. It was two substitutes who had an immediate impact. Lina Hurtig, with her first touch, nodded the ball down for Blomqvist to curl home beyond Coll.
Their joy was short-lived, however, as Spain retaliated instantly. Catching their opponents asleep, Carmona broke on to a short corner. Her finish was spectacular, crashing her shot off the underside of the crossbar.
It was a goal worthy of sending her team through to the final. With Spain’s name already etched on to the U17 and U20 trophies over the past 12 months, they will now have an opportunity to make it a clean sweep and lift the ultimate prize in Sydney on Sunday.
