Ivana Andres of Spain and teammates celebrate with the Fifa Women's World Cup Trophy. Photo / Getty Images
By Michael Burgess in Sydney
In the 60th minute of Sunday’s Fifa Women’s World Cup final, Spanish captain Olga Carmona received the ball near the touchline, around halfway.
She was hemmed in and seemingly surrounded - but found a teammate. That player, Aitana Bonmati, who looked similarly covered, flicked a first-time ball to another compatriot 10 metres away, who fizzed a one-touch pass back to Carmona. Then, as the England players continued to chase, they did it again.
It was a breathtaking moment, a beautiful triangle but for England, a Bermuda triangle.
It was also an episode that summed up the night. Spain were near perfect in possession - incisive, effective, daring and willing to take chances - while England, aside from a 20-minute period in the second half, just couldn’t get the ball.
They had some chances and stayed in the match, thanks to their defensive grit, Spain’s prolific and outstanding goalkeeper Mary Earps but were thoroughly outclassed.
Apart from their finishing - which was careless - La Roja produced a wonderful performance, on the biggest possible stage. It showed the fruits of a methodical, dedicated system - 4-3-3, possession and high pressing - that has been part of Spanish football ideology for years and permeates through their club sides and their national age group teams.
By the end, there was no doubt they were the best team of the tournament; maybe they are the best women’s team of all time.
For all the hype and achievements of the United States, has there been an American side that has played quite like this in a World Cup final, against such quality opposition? Probably not.
And Spain had a tough run through the last eight; 2019 finalists Holland, world No 3 Sweden and European champions England.
This wasn’t a triumph through the back door; they became the best by beating the best.
”We had to suffer, we knew we were going to suffer,” said winger Alba Redondo post match.
She was referring to their inability to ice the match in the second half - even missing a penalty - which made for a tense finale, especially the 13 minutes of added time, as England threw bodies forward and hurled in crosses.
Equally, she could have been talking about their whole tournament. The 4-0 group stage loss to Japan, the late, late Dutch equaliser in Wellington, the crazy finale against Sweden at Eden Park. And all amid the backdrop of constant questions about their environment and an uneasy split between the coaching staff and players. Somehow, they overcame all that, to prosper on an unforgettable night.
Earlier, it had been a memorable day.
Sydney turned on the weather and the Olympic park complex was full of colourful English fans, with costumes, face paint and high hopes. The Spanish support was in the minority, which became clear in the stadium, with a powerful rendition of God Save the King followed by huge noise as England had an early chance, then hit the crossbar through Lauren Hemp.
But as Spain clicked into gear, neither the English team - nor their fans - had much response. England were making some inroads down the right but Spain looked dangerous everywhere. The pacey threat of teenager Salma Paralluelo stretched out the game and her teammates thrived in the spaces.
There was a brief pause in the 23rd minute, as a pitch invader appeared from nowhere and ran towards English striker Alessia Russio - then loud cheers as he lost his footing and went head over heels. He was roughly grabbed by four security guards, before two policeman led him away.
Around six minutes later came the moment that will go down in history, one of the great World Cup final goals. English fullback Lucy Bronze ran into a cul de sac near halfway and the Spanish pounced, with a lightning counterattack, that ended with Olga Carmona’s sweet, surgical strike from an acute angle.
As the Spanish celebrated, Bronze pounded the turf in anger.
English fans were stunned, while the Spanish chants of “si se puede, si se puede” (yes, we can) began.
England were rattled and Earps twice sent lofted passes over the sideline.
The second half stretched on for more than an hour, with the protracted penalty award - via a VAR check and the injury to England’s Alex Greenwood - followed by 13 minutes of added time.
Spain looked more likely - with Earps producing some wonderful saves - but the tension grew as they couldn’t seal the result. There were defiant cries of “C’mon England” from the stands, imploring the Lionesses to find something. The failed spot kick attempt provided more theatre. Earps gestured to the skies in triumph while Jennifer Hermoso hung her head, as England captain Millie Bright ran across to direct some sledges at the distraught Spaniard.
English substitute Lauren James forced a great save from Spanish custodian Cata Coll, which raised their hopes. Spain started to sit back, but were still a constant threat on the counter and should have added to their lead. Midfield maestro Bonmati, later honoured as player of the tournament, was everywhere and an errant pass in the 77th minute was probably her first.
England had one last corner, which Coll collected under immense pressure, as several teammates dived on her in pure relief. The final whistle blew a few seconds later, to cue massed Spanish celebrations and English despair.
In the ninth edition of the tournament, Spain had become the fifth different champion. It was only their third win over England in 14 previous encounters and just the second defeat for Sarina Wiegman during her 39-match tenure as English manager.
The final word was left to Bonmati, as she stood in the mixed zone at 12.30am, with the golden medal prominent on her 1.64m frame. As she took some questions from international media, the Herald asked how Spain had managed this remarkable feat.
“I think that me and all my teammates, we have been doing well in our clubs for a few years, winning [the] Champions League,” said Bonmati. “We have been growing a lot as players and we are prepared to beat anyone.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
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