By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
Spain left it late to upset Sweden and will now play in her first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup final against the second semi-final encounter between Australia and England on August 20 at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
Goals scored by Spain’s Salma Paralluelo (81′) and Olga Carmona 89′ ensured that Sweden’s goal by Rebecka Blomqvist (88′) counted for nothing as La Roja won 2-1 on the day to qualify for the final.
After hard-fought wins in the quarter-finals of the competition last week, Spain and Sweden battled on Tuesday in a true back-and-forth affair.
Both teams entered unscathed, and it was even for most of the match until a flurry of activity from the 80th minute and beyond where there were three goals scored in just 10 minutes of game action.
For Spain, the win gives the team its first-ever appearance in a final at the World Cup, led by young superstar Salma Paralluelo, who delivered the first goal of the match for Spain in 81′ but Rebecka Blomqvist would equalize the game for Sweden in 88′ before defender Olga Carmona added the winner for Spain with just one minute after Blomqvist had equalized for Sweden.
A pulsating second half between Spain and Sweden produced three goals in 10 minutes minutes as a fizzed strike from fullback Carmona on the brink of stoppage time nudged La Roja into their first major tournament final.
She had received a short corner kick on the left edge of the penalty area and rifled a shot off the underside of the crossbar- stunning Swedish goalkeeper Zecira Musovic, one of the stars of this year’s Women’s World Cup- to secure a 2-1 victory when the game seemed destined for extra time.
But just as it has been all through the tournament in Down Under, the new guard continues to usurp the old in women’s soccer as another new team Spain triumph over old guards.
An immensely talented Spanish side coached by Jorge Vilda plays with the kind of style and flair that has caused the sport’s popularity to soar, and that level of talent proved too much for an aging Sweden squad playing in its fifth World Cup semi-finals.
It must be said that Spain’s teenage sensation Paralluelo opened the scoring with an instinctive, predatory finish on a loose ball in the box for her second goal in as many games to finally cracked the resolute Swedish defence. READ ALSO:
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And nine minutes later the winning strike came from Carmona, a 23-year-old rising star who completed 80% of her passes and won five of her eight duels. Spain becomes the youngest team to reach the final (average age 25.3) since 1995.
By the victory, La Roja advanced to Sunday’s final and await the winner of Australia and England epic clash.
