In the game of predictions, not many people must have bet on Spain at the start of the Women’s World Cup. In two participations so far, La Roja had never passed the stage of the round of 16. And, for her third World Cup, she also had to deal with an internal conflict between her players and their coach, Jorge Vilda – several of them reproaching him for poor quality training and too much intrusion into their private lives.

In this context, many stars are no longer selected for the national team and are therefore not traveling to New Zealand and Australia. A situation that promised a nightmarish journey… and yet the opposite is happening. On Tuesday August 15, La Roja qualified for the final by defeating Sweden, thanks to a goal from captain Olga Carmona in added time (90th 1). Final score: 2-1.

At Eden Park in Auckland, the usual lair of the New Zealand rugby team, the spectators massed in the stands did not attend the best match of the competition for long minutes. Despite having fallen from the double American title holders in the round of 16, the Swedes had a lot of difficulty approaching their opponents’ cage, and especially getting the ball back from them. Because for both men and women, the tactic does not change when you wear the jersey of the Spanish selection: you want the ball, and as often as possible (63% possession against Sweden on Tuesday).

Three late goals

By dint of multiplying the passes, the players of Jorge Vilda ended up finding the fault through Salma Paralluelo, who came into play in the 57th minute. Well placed in the box, the 19-year-old Barcelona striker probably thought she had scored the winning goal when she saw her right shot go to lodge in the corner of the Swedish goalkeeper’s goal (81st).

She had just kicked off a completely unbridled end to the match, during which the Swedes came back up for a few minutes with a goal from Rebecka Blomqvist (88th), before the Spaniard Olga Carmona offered a definite advantage this time to his with a shot under the crossbar.

“It was a tough game. It could have been difficult to get up after the equalizer, but we showed that this team could handle any situation,” Salma Paralluelo told The Associated Press at the final whistle. “We deserved it. We have passed all the challenges and now we face the last one with this final, the biggest one. »

In the next round, La Roja will face the winner of the duel between Australia and England, with the two teams meeting on Wednesday in Sydney. Whatever happens now, this 2023 vintage World Cup will crown an unprecedented champion.