Olga Carmona's stunning effort guides Spain to maiden Women's Wold Cup final
Aug 15, 2023
Auckland [New Zealand], August 15 : Spain stormed into their maiden Women's World Cup final with a 2-1 victory against Sweden at Eden Park on Tuesday.
Spain exercised domination in the first half and created better chances in terms of what Sweden had to offer. In the 14th minute of the game, Spain came close to opening their account with Carmona's shot missing the goal by the barest of margins.
Sweden tried to give a fitting reply to Spain's domination with their attacking threat. They came close but Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's contact let her down and the ball went astray.
Ballon d'Or Feminin holder Alexia Putellas came close to putting Spain in a position of having a goal advantage but Magda Eriksson stayed alert in the defensive line to keep the scoreline at bay.
Despite Spain's domination on the field, Sweden had the first shot on target with Frida Rolfo forcing out a save from her club teammate Catalina Coll.
This effort was enough to reignite Sweden's spirit in the second half. Keepers at both ends started to face the heat of the attacking pressure created by their opposition.
Spain had the golden chance of securing their first goal of the game in the 70th minute, Redondo's six-yard effort went wide which kept the scoreline intact at 0-0.
A few moments after the Levante forward missed the opportunity, with Paralluelo providing the much-needed breakthrough by slotting the ball into the net following a defensive error from Sweden.
Seven minutes later, Blomqvist pulled Sweden back into the game and took the semifinal encounter a step closer to extra time.
Spain looked to reply immediately as they earned a corner moments after the restart. Skipper Carmona with a stunning effort lofted the ball over the keeper, Musovic got the fingertips in an attempt to send it past the crossbar.
The ball met the underside of the bar and ended up falling over the line. Sweden tried to push for another equalizer but Spain's resolute defence kept the 2-1 scoreline intact.
Spain will now face England or Australia in the final of the Women's World Cup.
