Olga Carmona was Spain’s hero as the defender fired her country into their first Women’s World Cup final after a rollercoaster victory over Sweden this morning.
What had been a cagey affair in Auckland came to life in the final ten minutes, with teenager Salma Paralluelo breaking the deadlock, only for Sweden to hit back through substitute Rebecka Blomqvist.However, with the game headed for extra-time, Spain restored their lead immediately, Carmona firing in from long-range to earn a 2-1 win and break Swedish hearts once more.
Peter Gerhardsson’s side had been looking to put a string of near-misses behind them, the Swedes having lost in the semi-finals of both the last World Cup in 2019 and last summer’s European Championships, as well as the last two Olympic finals.Instead, it is Spain, who had never been beyond the last-16 coming into this tournament, that march on to Sunday’s final in Sydney, where either England or co-hosts Australia lie in wait.
