Spain will play the World Cup final next Sunday (12 noon) in Sydney. When the game seemed to go to extra time, Salma Paralluelo put Spain ahead with a great goal that made her the hero of the game once again, as she had already been against the Netherlands. Jorge Vilda’s team was too confident when they saw how Blomqvist equalized the forces seven minutes later. In a truly heart-stopping finish, Olga Carmona fired a cannon shot from the edge of the area with all her might, with which she beat Musovic and sent Spain to its first World Cup final.
Auckland’s Eden Park was once again a talisman for ‘the red one’. The scene in which he thrashed Zambia (5-0) and signed his pass to the quarterfinals against Switzerland (1-5) was also witness to a historic victory for the Spanish team. Jorge Vilda introduced two changes with respect to the match against the Netherlands, bringing on Olga Carmona for the suspended Oihane Hernández, and with the return of Alexia to the eleven after two substitution days.
The game started as a fight between two teams that were testing their rival. As the minutes went by, Spain took possession of the ball, but it was a very sterile possession, which did not worry the Swedes at all. Given the difficulties in reaching the inside, Olga Carmona tried her luck with a long shot, but also without luck.
Spain’s game lacked more speed to be able to disrupt the rival defense, which dwarfed any center or shot without any difficulty. Neither the attempts from the front, nor with centers to the area, like the one that Aitana Bonmatí tried after a great individual action that missed Jenni Hermoso’s head by very little. ‘La Roja’ did not hit the key and the minutes kept passing without the marker moving.
The ball didn’t last long for Sweden, but it didn’t show that this scenario made it too uncomfortable. Aware that his strong point is set pieces, he waited patiently for his opportunity. An opportunity that would arrive at the edge of the break after an error in Olga Carmona’s exit of the ball, stuck to the corner, which Björn took advantage of to masterfully cross into the small area, where an attentive Fridolina Rolfö awaited. The blaugrana did not think twice and finished off point blank at the goal of an attentive Cata Coll who reached in to send the ball to the corner.
Peter Gerhardsson’s men stepped forward and took the initiative in the game. An impulse that lasted in the first minutes of the second half, with a more dominant Sweden, winning the duels, gradually wearing down their rival.
Spain was missing a jolt, a shock that occurred in 57 with the entry of Salma Paralluelo. With her on the pitch, the team greatly improved her version and ‘la roja’ had her best chances. The clearest, in the 70th minute, after Jenni Hermoso sent a beautiful cross into the area for the FC Barcelona winger who, while falling, managed to send a filtered pass for an Alba Redondo who finished off from the ground, but the shot went wide out. An occasion they would hope they would not have to remember later.
And when all roads seemed to lead to extension, Salma Paralluelo appeared to put on her heroin cape again. Jenni Hermoso put the ball on the penalty spot for the blaugrana to finish off with her right foot a very tight shot to the post, impossible for Musovic. If he signed 2-1 against the Netherlands at 111, against Sweden his was the 1-0 that put Spain in the final. But like any good story, the script still had pages to write and Blomqvist, taking advantage of the defensive passivity in a counter action, tied the game seven minutes later.
The extension seemed inevitable. Until minute 90 arrived and with it a goal that will change the history of Spain. Tere Abelleira served a corner kick directly to the edge of the area where Olga Carmona was waiting, who once again tried one of her outside shots, but this time it really worked. 2-1 and the Spanish team signed their historic ticket to the final, where on Sunday they will face the winner of the second semi-final between Australia and England (Wednesday, 12 noon).
2. Spain: Cata Coll; Ona Batlle, Irene Paredes, Laia Codina, Olga Carmona; Teresa Abelleira, Aitana Bonmatí, Alexia Putellas (m.57, Salma Paralluelo); Alba Redondo (m.73, Eva Navarro), Mariona Caldentey (m.90 5, Esther González), Jenni Hermoso.
Coach: Jorge Vilda.
1. Sweden: Zecira Musovic; Jonna Andersson, Magdalena Eriksson, Amanda Ilestedt, Nathalie Bjorn; Elin Rubensson (m.87, Lina Hurtig), Filippa Angeldal, Kosovare Asllani; Fridolina Rolfö, Johanna Kaneryd (m.77, Olivia Schough), Stina Blackstenius (m.77, Rebecka Blomqvist).
Selector: Peter Gerhardsson.
Goals: 1-0, m.81: Salma Paralluelo. 1-1, m.88: Rebecka. 2-2, m.90, Olga Carmona.
Referee: Edina Alves, from Brazil.
Incidents: Match for the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, played at the Eden Park Stadium in Auckland, in New Zealand, before 43,217 spectators.