Spain, an emerging nation of women’s football, qualified for the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time, beating the Netherlands, vice-world champions in title (2-1 ap), at the end of a meeting with twists, Friday in Wellington.
La Roja will meet Japan or Sweden on Tuesday to extend their dream of winning a first major title.
The Spaniards, one of the youngest selections in the competition, avoided the hold-up of the Dutch thanks to a goal in extra time (111th) from Salma Paralluelo, 19 years old.
The FC Barcelona striker unlocked the match a few seconds after a missed qualifying ball by Lineth Beerensteyn for the Oranje.
“It’s impressive to see how the players have grown in the face of adversity with Salma’s goal,” said Spanish coach Jorge Vilda.
The scenario seems cruel for the Netherlands who, although dominated, showed character to equalize during additional time in regulation time, by Stefanie van der Gragt (90th 1).
La Roja had opened the scoring a little earlier by Mariona Caldentey, from the penalty spot (81st).
After the United States, Germany, Brazil, or Canada, the competition says goodbye to a new cador, who had reached the final in 2019 (lost to the United States).
Driven by the professionalization of its clubs, Spain embodies the recent development of women’s football, where the level gap between long-established nations and their competitors has narrowed considerably.
Movement, counter-pressing, possession … The Iberians displayed their technical superiority, despite the presence on the bench of the double Golden Ball title Alexia Putellas (entered in the 99th).
But their lack of success, embodied by Alba Redondo who hit the post twice on the same action (17th), left the Dutch in the match, who tried to make their patience bear fruit at the very end.
The meeting got carried away in the last quarter of an hour, where the two teams seemed on the verge of knockout.
La Roja struck first by Caldentey, on a penalty spotted by video assistance (VAR) for a hand from Stefanie van der Gragt, unhappy on the action.
The defender had both feet outside the penalty area, but not her hand, for a few centimeters.
Van der Gragt (106 caps before the match) is playing her last competition as a player at the age of 30, before joining next season the management of the women’s team of Alkmaar, the club of her debut.
But the player did not intend to bow out like that: in added time (90th 1), she equalized with a goal worthy of an attacker, against goalkeeper Cata Coll.
“It’s hard now,” she conceded after the elimination. “We had a chance in overtime, and we didn’t score. They had a chance and they scored. It’s football,” she conceded.
This end full of twists revived the Dutch, who by Beerensteyn, had the opportunity to pass in front of the scoreboard during extra time.
It is finally Spain who will have had the last word, and who will play the semi-final. Without midfielder Oihane Hernandez, who received a yellow card against the Netherlands and will be suspended.
