The final of the 2023 Women’s World Cup will be held this Sunday, August 20, in the Australian capital, Sydney. Its protagonists will be Spain and England, two European teams that know each other well and that will measure their forces in the final date of the tournament. Who is the judge of the match? Where will it be held? How do the teams arrive? Who run them? Here’s what you need to know.
Only four teams can claim to be champions of a Women’s World Cup. In the eight editions played, the United States, Norway, Germany and Japan have been crowned with the most important trophy in world soccer. But this sunday august 20the exclusive group will have a new member when Spain and England play the final of the tournament in the Accor Stadium of sydney.
The meeting will begin at 8 p.m. (local time), that is, at 7 in the morning of Buenos Aires and to the 5 in the morning from Bogotá, Quito and Lima. The match, like all matches since the round of 16, will have two extra times if there is a tie in the first 90 minutes.
The judge in charge will be the American tori thought, 37 years old. The referee already whistled the semi-final between England and Australia on Wednesday, so the decision was a surprise. She thought she was moved when she was designated as responsible for the final appointment of the World Cup.
“When (Pierluigi) Collina (chairman of the FIFA referees committee) lifted up the jersey with the names on it and turned it around to show my name, I melted,” Penso said. And he added: “There has been a lot of support for me and the whole ‘crew’, and it is that we embark on something innovative that we will never forget.”
The Accor Stadium is expected to be full of fans, in a World Cup marked by massive attendance at matches. This week FIFA reported that 1.77 million tickets have been sold for the tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand and attended by 1,734,028 people to the first 60 games.
A meeting of two old acquaintances
England and Spain know each other well. But although they have played multiple games in European tournaments, they have never met in a World Cup. In the last five games ‘La Roja’ has won only once, while ‘Las Leonas’ have won three and tied once.
Spain is looking for revenge. He still remembers that quarter-final match in Falmer, UK. A little over a year ago, on July 20, 2022, the Iberians lost 2-1 against the British. A result that took them out of the tournament in which they expected to reach the final instances.
Also, some of the footballers know each other well because they belong to the same European clubs. That is the case of Lucy Bronze or Keira Walsh who play for FC Barcelona, to which nearly half of the players of the Spanish National Team are a part.
For both teams it is an unprecedented final: for the first time in their history they managed to qualify for that instance of a World Cup.
However, other European teams had already faced each other in a world final: Norway faced Germany in 1995 and the Teutonics repeated in 2003 when they faced Sweden. Thus, it is the third final of a Women’s World Cup with two participants from the Old Continent.
England, undefeated and European champion
England squeezed into the final after beating hosts Australia 3-1 in Sydney. One more game in which they demonstrated the favoritism with which they stepped on oceanic territory. The team arrived with a winning momentum by being champions of Euro 2022 and also of the Finalissima against Brazil.
‘The lioness’ They have not lost any game in their entire World Cup journey and they only equalized on 90 minutes against Nigeria in the round of 16, but they managed to take the victory from the penalty spot.
England have scored 13 goals in Australia and New Zealand. His top scorers are Lauren Hempfrom Manchester City, with three goals; Alessia Russo, from Arsenal, also with three; like Lauren Jamesfrom Chelsea.
James, one of the greatest figures of the white team, was sent off precisely in the match against Nigeria for stepping on the back of one of the African players, Michelle Alozie. For this reason, she could not play the last two games played by her team, however, she already has the green light to return to the field of play in the final.
Perhaps one of the key data for the meeting is that England have only conceded three goals against. A figure that speaks of the solidity of its defensive lines and the good performance of its goalkeeper, Mary Earps, of Manchester United. Earps also posted three unbeaten hurdles in the tournament.
Sarina Wiegman, twice in a World Cup final
Without a doubt, one of the keys to England’s success is outside the lines of the field of play. The Dutch Sarina Wiegman is achieving a feat that has not been achieved by any coach – both women’s and men’s teams -; take two different teams to two consecutive world finals.
Wiegman, 53, led his country’s team to the 2019 World Cup final in France. On that occasion he lost to the United States 2-0 and came in a bitter second place. This time with England he wants the outcome to be different.
The coach assumed her current position in 2021, replacing the previous selector, Phil Neville. The coach has won ‘The Best’ award for the best female coach on two occasions.
Spain, a world power in crescendo
Spain qualified for the final after beating Sweden in the quarterfinals, in a match with an agonizing goal in the 90th minute that put the score 2-1 in favor of the Iberians.
The ‘La Roja’ World Cup was marked by a group phase of ups and downs. Although Spain scored two wins in their favor in the first games (3-0 against Costa Rica and 5-0 against Zambia) they lost an unexpected 4-0 against Japan. A result that cost him the leadership of the group and that questioned the performance of the team.
However, they managed to recover in the round of 16, beating Switzerland by a comfortable 5-1 and eliminating two favorites in the quarterfinals and in the semifinal – the Netherlands and Sweden, respectively.
‘La Roja’ has scored 17 goals in the World Cup: its best scorers are Aitana Bonmatí, from Barcelona, with three goals; Jenni Hermoso, from Pachucha, and Alba Redondo, from Levante, also with three. If any of the three manages to score two goals in the match against England, she could lead the list of scorers now led by the Japanese Hinata Miyazawa (with five goals).
Spain have conceded more goals than England, with seven goals against. However, there was one significant change to the arc. Real Madrid’s goalkeeper, Misa Rodríguez, was replaced by Cata Coll, from Barcelona, from the round of 16. Rodríguez conceded four goals in three games, while Coll has conceded three.
The performance of the Senior Women’s Team reflects a success that is also seen in the lower categories of the country. ‘La Roja’ was champion of the U-20 and U-17 World Cup. One of his figures in recent games, Salma Paralluelo, was part of the feats. The 19-year-old footballer scored two decisive goals in the quarterfinals and in the semifinal.
Jorge Vilda, immersed in controversy
The Spain coach is Jorge Vilda, 42 years old. His leadership has generated great controversy, since after the Eurocup, 15 of the players declared themselves ineligible and asked for the dismissal of the coach.
However, the Spanish Football Federation supported the man from Madrid and after the fact only three players from that group returned to the squad for the World Cup. Among the 23 summoned names such as Sandra Paños, Mapi León and Patri Guijarro, pillars of Barcelona Femenino, current champion of the Champions League, did not appear.
In Sydney, everything is ready for the meeting of two teams that, whatever happens in the final, have already shown that soccer processes within the country are essential for international results. Both England and Spain have two of the leagues that set the pace for the development of women’s football globally.
With local media
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