8 months ago
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Caitlin Murray, ESPNAug 20, 2023, 08:53 AM ET
She authored a book about the history of the U.S. women's national team called "The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer," which made "best of" lists in Vanity Fair, The Financial Times, NPR and The Los Angeles Times. On Twitter and Instagram, she's @caitlinmurr.
SYDNEY -- Spain are the new Women's World Cup champions, beating England 1-0 at Stadium Australia to become first-time winners.
Although Spain had lots of possession compared to England, their decisive opening goal came from a quick counter-attack. After winning the ball in the midfield, Teresa Abelleira switched the point of attack to Mariona Caldentey, who slipped it for Olga Carmona to run onto for a one-time strike.
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A missed penalty from Jennifer Hermoso could have doubled Spain's lead, but England goalkeeper Mary Earps, the Lionesses best player on the day, did well to read the shot and hold onto the ball.
In truth, Spain looked like the far superior team, passing circles around England as the game wore on. Spain out-shot their opponents 11 to 7 in a match that certainly wasn't a cakewalk for La Roja, but the result never really looked in doubt once they had taken the lead.
For England, it's a disappointing follow-up to their thrilling and dominant win at the Euros last summer. The Lionesses had knocked Spain out of that tournament in the quarterfinals, and Spain got the ultimate revenge.
Player ratings (0-10; 10 = best; 5 = average)
Spain
GK Cata Coll, 6 -- England didn't force much out of her.
DF Olga Carmona, 7 -- A big blunder gifted England a clear scoring chance in the 16th minute, but she made up for it with an excellent finish to score the only goal of the game.
DF Laia Codina, 6 -- Wasn't very noticeable out there, which is a good thing for defenders.
DF Irene Paredes, 7 -- A fine performance that kept England at bay.
DF Ona Batlle, 7 -- Repeatedly lost possession going forward, but was solid enough in defense when she needed to be. Defended a Hemp chance well shortly after half-time.
MF Jenni Hermoso, 5 -- A relatively quiet night for her until her penalty in the 69th minute, which was saved.
MF Teresa Abelleira, 7 -- It was her switch that led to Spain's opening goal. It may have been the most impact she made all night, but it was enough
MF Aitana Bonmatí, 8 -- She sparked a couple of good attacks in the middle. Completed 95% of her passes and was named Player of the Tournament after the match.
FW Mariona Caldentey, 7 -- Forced a diving save from England's goalkeeper in the 49th minute, and fed the ball that led to Spain's goal.
FW Salma Paralluelo, 7 -- Fired a shot off the post in the final sequence of play before half-time, but hit a clear chance wide in the 64th minute. She was a handful for England all night.
FW Alba Redondo, 6 -- A relatively quiet night, but she did make the England back line work.
2:03
Ogden: Women's World Cup has been great showcase of football
Mark Ogden and Alexis Nunes give their thoughts on the Women's World Cup after Spain took the crown vs. England in the final.
Substitutes (Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating.)
FW Oihane Hernández, 5 (on for Redondo, 60") -- Couldn't impact the game much.
DF Ivana Andrés, NR (on for Codina, 73") -- Limited chance to show anything.
FW Alexia Putellas, NR (on for Caldentey, 90") -- It was a bit of a surprise when Putellas didn't start, but coming back from injury she never looked 100% and so Paralluelo took her spot. Not a chance for Putellas to meaningfully contribute.
England
GK Mary Earps, 8 -- Made a massive save from close range in the 17th minute, and then saved a penalty in the 69th. Another big save in the 90th minute kept England's hopes alive, despite the below-par performances of her teammates. She really could not be blamed for Spain's opening goal.
DF Alex Greenwood, 7 -- Put in a decent defensive shift and connected with most of her passes.
DF Millie Bright, 7 -- Stood up relatively well to Spain's attacks.
DF Jessica Carter, 6 -- Had some good clearances but her pass-completion rate was poor.
LW Rachel Daly, 5 -- Spain repeatedly attacked down Daly's side. Although she at times won possession, she was also caught too high and didn't make an impact going forward. Got taken off at half-time.
MF Ella Toone, 5 -- A bad giveaway from Toone in the 40th minute ultimately wasn't punished.
MF Keira Walsh, 4 -- Got her pocket picked too easily a couple times. Committed what looked like an intentional handball to concede a penalty
MF Georgia Stanway, 5 -- Relatively ineffective the night, but also no terrible blunders.
RW Lucy Bronze, 4 -- Right before Spain's goal, she tried to take the ball herself, dribbling through the midfield, and then when she lost possession she threw a tantrum instead of tracking back; Spain attacked down her side to score. Was poor going forward in general.
FW Lauren Hemp, 6 -- Had a couple of good chances that could have turned the game on its head early. A well-placed shot in the fifth minute from inside the box lacked the pace to beat Spain's goalkeeper, and in the 16th minute she fired one off the crossbar.
FW Alessia Russo, 4 -- Her performance was a mixed bag, sometimes beating pressure and winning corners, but a bad touch of hers killed a promising attack in the 19th minute and two minutes later she passed to no one, promptly losing the ball. Was substituted at half-time.
2:05
Was it a mistake not starting Lauren James in the World Cup final?
Sam Marsden discusses whether England made a serious error by leaving Lauren James out of the starting lineup for the World Cup final vs. Spain.
Substitutes (Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating.)
LW Chloe Kelly, 5 (on for Daly, 45") -- Quickly made an impact, getting an excellent cross into the path of Hemp, who couldn't finish. Wasted an attack in the 60th minute with an errant cross.
MF Lauren James, 5 (on for Toone, 45") -- A tough night, booed by sections of the crowd every time she touched the ball after FIFA only gave her a two-match ban for her red card vs. Nigeria. She had a nice shot in the 75th that force the goalkeeper to tip it over the bar. Passed the ball out of bounds for no reason in the 53rd minute, killing one of England's few promising attacks.
MF Beth England, NR (on for Toone, 87") -- Couldn't provide the spark the Lionesses needed.
