Spain pulled a surprise turnaround during the last minutes of the August 15 game to beat Sweden 2-1 and make it to the finals.
England landed its spot the next day when the Lionesses crushed
Australia in a 3-1 win in Sydney. The two teams met at Stadium Australia on Sunday, August 20.
Over the 90+13 game, the two teams tested their strength against each other, with Spain pulling a 1-0 victory.
Here is a review of the match and the culmination of one of the most exciting tournaments in women’s football.
First Half
The 2023 Women’s World Cup final was the first not to feature Germany or the US. 75,784 fans flocked to the Stadium Australia, and thousands of others set up betnaija registration accounts to follow the Sunday game. For the first several minutes, England had a clear advantage. Lauren Hemp shot the ball toward the net at minute five and connected with the bar at minute 17.
However, the night belonged to Spain. La Roja captain Carmona helped her team take the lead 30 minutes into the game following a dispossession in midfield and a crossfield pass from Abelleira to Mariona Caldentey. Caldentey slid the ball to Carmona, who performed an angled shot that delivered the ball to the far corner of the net, slipping right past Earps' fingertips.
Second Half
England, clearly ruffled from the first half, switched up their formation in the second half of the game, going from three to four at the back. Lauren James also moved toward the front close to
Alessia Russo. Spain’s formation and strategy, on the other hand, remain unchanged.
Caldentey made a play for goal number two at minute 50, shooting from the edge of the box. An experienced Earps delivered a fine save, helping the Lionesses keep their loss small. Bonmati also attempted a goal at minute 60, but her long-range shot hit the bar.
Spain’s next foray to the box produced a highly contested penalty from referee Tori Penso for Keira Walsh's handball. Earps proved efficient again, stopping a pot kick from Jennifer Hermoso
just in time. James then tried a shot (min. 75), but Cata Coll, La Roja's goalkeeper, tipped it over the bar. The rest of the game played like a battle of wills between Coll and Earps, with the latter blocking another shot from Ona Batlle at minute 90.
Extra Time
13 minutes of injury time were added to the game. Toward the end, England earned a corner and sent all 11 players to the box. Coll blocked the ball, securing the lead and the win for her team.
Spain won the World Cup 1-0 with more than enough flair.
Emotions After the Game
Emotions ran high after the game, with Spain clearly ecstatic and the Lionesses crushed. England captain Millie Bright spoke to journalists and called the loss “the hard part of football.” Bright
explained that there was a lot of disappointment at the time but that the team would appreciate how far they had come in a few weeks when things cooled down. Meanwhile, an ecstatic and
emotional Carmona said of the game, I think it was [ours]. We had the feeling we were going to do it.”
Tournament Awards
The award ceremony saw Aitana Bonmati win the FIFA Golden Ball, Earps the Golden Glove, and Parallelo the FIFA Best Young Player.
Wrapping Up
That wrapped up the World Cup final and the month-long competition that saw the best of the best of women’s football battle it out on their biggest stage yet. Spain is not the fifth team to win the Cup, and England have promised to go all the way next time. For now, however, La Roja are the world champions.
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