Spain is the women’s World Cup champion and lifts this trophy for the first time in its history after an impeccable match against England
With a relentless left-footed Olga Carmona 33 minutes into the first half, those led by Jorge Vilda defeated “las leonas”, current European champions, in Australia.
A missed penalty by Jenni Hermoso in the second half could have increased the difference, but the great cover by English Mary Earps (who was voted the best goalkeeper in the World Cup) only added a little more suspense to an exciting game until the last minute. .
This is the end of a path where the Spanish shone with their own light, especially in the knockout phase where, with an insistent and disciplined game, they managed to beat favorite teams like the Netherlands and Sweden.
But, above all, to England, who had eliminated “la Roja” in the 2022 Euro Cup, in the quarterfinals.
As many times in football, this result is not the product of chance: in addition to taking home the senior trophy for the first time, the Spanish women’s team crowns another great feat.
It is the first time in history that the same country has won the world titles in the under-17, under-20 and senior categories at the same time.
Spain is champion of the under-20 championship, which took place in Costa Rica, and the under-17 that took place in India, both last year.
Salma Paralluelochosen the best young player of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, thus became the first footballer to win all three tournaments.
And only one other nation had won titles at the same level, but not back-to-back: Japan.
Olga Carmona’s goal opened the way for Spain. Photo: Getty Images.
To this are added other milestones such as the one achieved by the midfielder Alexia Putellaswho has been chosen twice in a row as the best player in the world.
In the analysis of Kenio Gonzalo, the world champion coach with the U-17 team, the successes are the reflection of a Spain that has made “a very important job especially in two aspects: strengthening the local League and doing a special job in the quarry ”,
“Not only is there a very important present, but there are generations that are going to strengthen what has been achieved so far,” added Gonzalo, in an interview with the Hindustan Times.
less than a decade
Although the triumphs accompany the Spanish team, the truth is that less than ten years ago the team was not even among the best on the continent.
Their first qualification to a World Cup was given just eight years ago, for the 2015 Canada tournament, where they did not go beyond the first round.
Four years ago, at France 2019, they reached the round of 16 but were eliminated by a powerhouse in women’s soccer like the United States.
By then something seemed to change: Spain began to become a power in world soccer, as it is in the men’s side of this sport.
And as Gonzalo points out, two aspects were fundamental: the development of a local league and the work of the basic forces or the quarry.
For example, in these years the F League, as the women’s league is known in Spain and which just started this year with an entirely professional model, has become the most powerful on the planet.
Earlier this year, the Institute of Football History and Statistics (IHHFS) declared it the best in the world, above the English and French.
In addition, it is the third with the highest investment in Europe, according to FIFA.
And for UEFA, the best team in Europe is precisely one from League F: FC Barcelona.
The Catalan club, recent winner of the Women’s Champions League, has been the flagship of this revolution.
“Barça has produced key players in this entire Spanish team, especially Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellasalthough he hasn’t made a big impact in the tournament yet while he gets back into shape,” says Emma Smith, a journalist for the BBC expert in women’s soccer.
In addition to Putellas, there are eight other Blaugrana players on the official roster who traveled to Australia and New Zealand.
Regarding youth work, it is one that has been developing for a long time: Spain began to stand out in the 2014 Youth World Cup, when it was runner-up in the world, only surpassed by Japan.
Despite the resignation of 15 players in September 2022, Jorge Vilda managed to put together a team with the desire to score goals. Photo: Getty Images.
Since then they have not stopped. They have been world champions twice in the under-17 world, once in the under-20 world and twice first in the European under-21 championships.
Currently, according to the Royal Spanish Football Federation, there are about 6,000 girls who are enrolled in the sub-12 categories to start their football training process.
Champion Spain: overcoming the pitfalls
But it is well known in football that success at the youth level is not always replicated in the senior category (and vice versa).
Spain has managed, however, to subvert these tendencies. And for that he has had to overcome several obstacles.
Perhaps the most serious was faced a little less than a year ago.
After several comings and goings, on September 22, 2022, the Spanish Football Federation indicated that 15 players had sent a letter announcing that they would not return to the national team if changes were not made in the technical direction.
The players claimed that the situation with the coach at that time “affected them mentally.”
Aitana Bonmatí (with number 6) was one of the players who resigned from the national team, but returned to be a vital part of the team. Photo: Getty Images.
The Federation supported the coach Jorge Vilda and the 15 players stopped being part of the calls.
However, Vilda began to look for a way to convince three of them to return to the team – Mariona Caldentey, Aitana Bonmatí and Ona Batlle.
All three have been fundamental in this campaign. What’s more, at the end of the final with England, Bonmatí received the “Golden Ball” for the best player in the World Cup (the “Golden Boot”, for the tournament’s goalscorer, went to the Japanese Hinata Miyazawa).
With all this behind them, Spain found itself on the field and is now the orbital champion, just as it happened with the men’s team in South Africa 2010.
“My family has suffered a lot with this. And the first thing that goes through your head after winning is thinking about your loved ones and everything that has happened this year,” Vilda told the BBC after their team’s victory over Sweden in the semifinal
But perhaps overcoming an obstacle as big as the resignation of half a team a few months before a World Cup shows what this huge victory sustains: the capacity of its players.
Even those who quit.
“The fact that Spain has one of the best teams in the World Cup does not imply that this is the best Spain possible, a team built on the infinite ambition of the soccer players present, but especially those absent,” wrote journalist Rafa Cabeleira.
“We also know the difficulties they have had to suffer while building this road, some as serious and unfortunate as that sponsored hunt for those who dared to claim professionalism, respect and dignity.”
“La Roja” has shown to be a disciplined and mentally strong team. Photo: Getty Images BBC
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2023-08-28 21:32:41
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