Women's World Cup: Spain clinches maiden title, beats England 1-0 in final

Spain bagged its maiden FIFA Womens World Cup title less than a year after a player rebellion holding off England 10 on Sunday after Olga Carmonas firsthalf goalSpains first major international trophy made it the first European team to win the Womens World Cup since Germany in 2007At the final whistle the Spanish players piled on each other in front of their goalCarmonas leftfoot shot in the 29th minute went into the far corner of the net and just out of reach of diving England goalkeeper Mary EarpsIn celebration she raised her jersey to reveal the word Merchi scrawled in ink on her undershirt an apparent nod to her former schoolCarmona also scored the gamewinner in the 89th minute of Spains 21 semifinal victory over Sweden becoming the first player since Carli Lloyd in 2015 to score in a World Cup semifinal and finalSpain had a chance to double the lead in the 68th but Jenni Hermosos penalty attempt was saved by Earps who anticipated perfectly and dived to her leftSpains victory comes despite a nearmutiny by players last year Fifteen players said they were stepping away from the national team for their mental health while also calling for a more professional environmentThree of those players Ona Batlle Aitana Bonmatiacute and Mariona Caldentey reconciled with the federation and were at the World CupEngland had momentum going into the tournament after winning the UEFA European Championship at home last summer But three of the teams best players captain Leah Williamson Fran Kirby and Beth Mead all had knee injuries that kept them off the World Cup squadEngland coach Sarina Wiegman was the first coach to take her teams to backtoback World Cup title matches She led the Netherlands to the final in 2019 but fell 20 to the United States of America Shes now 02Also Read Womenrsquos football on the rise and for the betterEngland was coming off a 31 victory over host Australia in the semifinal Lauren James who was the teams top scorer with three goals and three assists was forced to sit out two matches because of a suspension for stomping on Nigerias Michelle Alozie to open the knockout stageWhile James was available for the final Wiegman started Ella Toone James came into the match to start the second halfThe game was briefly interrupted in the 25th minute by a person who raced onto the field but was quickly tackled by securityOne of Englands best chances was in the 16th when Lauren Hemps blast caromed off the crossbar A minute later Salma Paralluelo raced to the goal but couldnt get a clean shot and Earps stopped Alba Redondos attempt in the scramble in front of the netVilda started 19yearold Paralluelo who scored the breakthrough goal for Spain against Sweden and the gamewinner in extra time over the Netherlands in the quarterfinalsParalluelo nearly scored seconds from halftime but her shot hit the post She was handed a yellow card in the 78th minute for a foul on Alex Greenwood who had a cut above her eyeHemp had another chance in the 54th but sent it wide A minute later she was handed a yellow card for a foul on Laia CodinaSpain had a chance to double the lead in the 68th after a video review awarded a penalty after Keira Walshs handball But Earps kept England in the game as she did with a succession of saves lateCoach Jorge Vilda had a challenge in working around twotime Ballon dOr winner Alexia Putellas who was still working her way back from a torn ACL last year For the final Putellas was on the bench at the startPutellas went into the game with 15 seconds left in regulation but there were 13 minutes of stoppage timeThere were 75784 fans at the final at Stadium Australia including tennis great Billie Jean KingThe two teams met last year in the quarters of the Euros with England coming from behind to beat Spain 21 in extra time on Georgia Stanways goal