On August 5, at dawn in Spain, more than one person choked on their coffee when they saw the starting XI chosen by Jorge Vilda to play their way to the World Cup quarterfinals. The biggest surprise, without a doubt, was the presence of Cata Coll under the sticks. Something that no one expected. Not even the protagonists. As usual, Vilda communicates the eleven two hours before the game. A practice that he did not change even in the case of a bombing like this. Misa Rodríguez found out about his substitution at the same time that Cata Coll read his name on the blackboard. A jug of cold water that left the Real Madrid goalkeeper very touched, who was seen as one of the greats pointed out after the embarrassing defeat (4-0) against Japan.
It was impossible for him to camouflage his disappointment amid the joy of the team for having reached the quarterfinals for the first time in the history of Spain. Something, on the other hand, understandable. Since the conflict with the 15 broke out, Misa had been the undisputed starter with Vilda. Even when Sandra Paños, the goalkeeper for Spain in the last three major tournaments, asked to return to the national team, the Madrid coach decided to leave her out of it and summon her substitute, Cata Coll, in her place. A maneuver with which he avoided the debate around the goal. At least, until he relegated Misa to the bench.
“We have three great goalkeepers and any of them can play in any game,” Vilda replied after the game against Switzerland. “It is the demonstration that we have 23 starters. They are not just words, today they are facts, ”he defended himself.
The match did not start well for the Barça goalkeeper, who conceded an own goal after an unfortunate pass behind the also rookie Laia Codina. Fortunately for the red, it remained an anecdote and they sealed their classification among the eight best. A good debut that could earn him a new title against the Netherlands this Friday (3 am, La 1).
Cata Coll (Pórtol, 2001) was one of the surprises on the squad for the World Cup. After 13 months in the dry dock due to a cruciate ligament injury, she reappeared in March with FC Barcelona, ??with whom she has barely played three games this season. At 22 years old, she is one of the goalkeepers with the greatest projection in Spain, with whom she has shone in the lower categories. She was the U-17 world champion in 2018, she was the Gold Glove of the first World Cup that a women’s team has ever won in Spain. She also shared the goal with Misa herself in the U-20 World Cup that same year, in which the red, with Cata as the starting goalkeeper, was runner-up.
Last Saturday, the Mallorcan fulfilled a new dream: “I called my father as soon as I found out, it was five in the morning in Mallorca, but I didn’t care. Nor did he expect it. So imagine, ”she confessed to the press after her debut in an absolute World Cup.
Tasting Coll or Misa Rodríguez? A question arises in the Spanish team at the gates of the historic opportunity to qualify for the semifinals of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. But he’s not the only one. If for years Jorge Vilda had been characterized by having a fixed eleven with very few rotations, this year the coach has distributed more minutes than ever. 22 of the 23 summoned have made their debut in the tournament and only goalkeeper Enith Salón remains to do so. Against the Netherlands, Ivana Andrés, who has missed the last two games due to a broken soleus, is expected to return to the eleven. Rocío Gálvez (against Japan) and Laia Codina (against Switzerland) have accompanied Irene Paredes and Ona Batlle, two permanent defenders. Along with them, only four more footballers have started in the four games: the omnipresent Aitana Bonmatí; Tere Abelleira, who is fulfilling with flying colors the difficult task of taking the place of Patri Guijarro; Salma Paralluelo and Jenni Hermoso, although the latter moving between the attack and the interior position.
