Spain earned their first ever FIFA Women's World Cup title with a hard-fought 1-0 win over England yesterday, August 20, at the Stadium Australia in Sydney.
Spain is now the only other nation in history to have won both the men's and women's World Cup titles, aside from Germany.
Team Captain Olga Carmona’s kick into the lower right corner flew past England’s Mary Earps and scored the only goal of the match. Carmona also scored the first goal during the semi-final against Sweden.
Ranked fourth in the world, La Roja's third time competing in the World Cup proved to be rewarding as they were embraced by the queen and princess of Spain during the awarding and took home the glimmering first place trophy.
"I have no words, I'm in shock. What we have done is remarkable, we have known how to suffer and enjoy," exclaims Player of the Game Aitana Bonmatí. "This is the dream of any soccer player. I can't ask for anything more."
A crowd of 75,784 audience members watched in continued suspense as England struggled to disrupt Spain’s expert defense. Even with their straight wins to the finals, the Lionesses' momentum was not enough to topple Spain’s attacks.
“They’re a fantastic team. I think the first half we weren’t our best, second half, we definitely put the fire in,” England captain Millie Bright shared. "But yeah, we just couldn’t finish it today. This is the hard part of football.”
The Spanish team still had a successful run and took home numerous individual awards, including Youngest Player of the Tournament for Salma Paralluelo and the Golden Ball for Aitana Bonmati even after a player mutiny last year. During this incident, only three out of the 15 players who chose to step away from playing due to mental health concerns and a demand for a more “professional working environment” reconciled with the association.
It was truly a historic moment for both Spain and England as it was their first time to break through to the finals. The 2023 Women's World Cup is a victorious moment not only for the champions, but for all football players too as fans from all over the world share in the glory of the unexpected and inspiring wins.