Twenty-three-year old Olga Carmona Garcia, who plays for
Real Madrid scored the only goal of the match on 29 minutes.
Any potential nerves of a first-ever Women’s World Cup final
appearance for Spain and England were non-existent from the outset as early
chances came at both ends.
The Lionesses started the more positively and Lauren Hemp
nearly struck her third goal in as many matches when her curling effort from
the edge of the area beat the outstretched hand of Catalina Coll before
thumping back off the crossbar.
With 17 tournament goals to their name prior to kick-off,
Spain soon started to look dangerous in attack and showcased their quality with
a rapid burst forward that ended with Alba Redondo shooting at Mary Earps.
As Spain became more dominant, England failed to recognise
the warning signs and had no answer when Olga Carmona raced forward and
finished with devastating precision from Mariona Caldentey’s through ball.
In response, the Lionesses pushed forward only to be met by
a stern Spanish rearguard. In fact, La Roja nearly doubled their lead on the
stroke of HT as Salma Paralluelo’s shot inside the area clipped the post.
Spain dominated the game and even missing a penalty on 70th
minute. Jenifer Hermoso’s penalty was saved by the England’s goalkeeper.
England could not come back despite late surge but the
Spanish were able to counter them and even looked more dangerous to score.