3 minute read
Spain and England will meet in the Women's World Cup final in Sydney on Sunday.
Spain left it late against Sweden, but the game sprung to life with an 81st-minute opener from Salma Paralluelo. The Swedes equalised in the 88th minute only to concede a minute later.
Olga Carmona struck the decisive blow just seconds after La Roja were pegged bag in the semifinal, setting up a Sydney date with the Lionesses.
England faced brief adversity when Sam Kerr scored a wondergoal to level proceedings in the second half, but goals either side of that from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessio Russo settled things.
Wiegman's side were dominant in possession and defended well for most of the 90 minutes, but had to survive a few late scares for striking the decisive blow.
Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll was called on several times to make a decisive intervention, but the Spaniards were dominant with Alexia Putellas and Teresa Abelleira pulling the strings.
Despite their statistical dominance, though, Jorge Vilda's side managed just two shots on target, the instinctive finish from Salma and Carmona's dipping drive from the edge of the box.
Sweden were able to keep compact and limit their opponents to half chances and strikes from distance, which is a blueprint England will do well to follow.
The Lionesses are usually so sound defensively, but Sam Kerr found more and more space as the game went on, missing a bundle of straightforward chances inside the England box.
Balls into the box were a real problem and although Millie Bright was on the end of most of them, the eventual winners were pushing their luck at times and will need to improve.
The return of Lauren James will be a big boost for England, adding to their wealth of big-game experience. Spain may be fearless, but they've never experienced a final.
The England ranks are full of players who can use the experience of the past 24 months to calm the game down in key moments and we're betting that will be the key to the game.
Best bets
England to win
Both teams to score
