There will be a first-time Women’s World Cup winner from Europe on Sunday in Sydney.
We already know that part, but we still don’t know who it will be – will it be free-scoring Spain or will it be Euro holders England?
You can catch Spain vs. England from Sydney in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Final on Sunday morning with coverage getting underway at 5:45am et/2:45am pt across the TSN Network, streaming on the TSN App and on TSN.ca.
La Roja head into Sunday’s Final having scored a tournament-high 17 goals with all of Aitana Bonmati, Jenni Hermoso and Alba Redondo having notched three apiece. But Spain have reached a final for the first time ever on the back of an absolute nail-biter with Sweden in the semis that was settled in the 89th minute by a bit of ingenuity from Teresa Abelleira and quality from Olga Carmona. Just seconds after Sweden had tied the match on a goal from Rebecka Blomqvist (that Abelleira, perhaps, could have done more to prevent), La Roja snatched victory just as it appeared extra time was beckoning. From a corner, Abelleira chose to ignore the mass of bodies from both teams in the box and instead picked out Carmona, who was making her way forward just outside. Coming to the edge of the area, the Real Madrid defender ripped a shot that Zecira Musovic couldn’t handle and gave Spain a 2-1 win.
Carmona says reaching the Final is a culmination of years of work by La Roja’s players to bring themselves to a world-class level.
“We know we’ve all done a great job, with every club in Spain doing what it could to help Spain reach a World Cup final,” Carmona said. “That was unthinkable a few years ago because we were so far behind other teams in terms of fitness and physicality. We realized that we had to work and improve. We had the talent, we just had to work on the areas where we could improve.”
Even with the victory to reach the Final, two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas says there’s still room for La Roja to find another gear.
"Football is a game of mistakes," the 29-year-old Barcelona star said. "And if you lose, you've made a mistake, sure. And even in winning, surely you have committed some [errors], despite the result and that you have won. I always think that there are things to improve and if there are things to improve, then you have to keep working."
Coming off of their first Euro title last summer on home soil, the Lionesses broke through in their third straight World Cup semi-final, defeating hosts Australia 3-1. After Ella Toone opened the scoring with a fine strike midway through the first half, Sam Kerr pulled the hosts even with what was perhaps the best goal of the tournament, a stunning volley from distance in the 63rd. But England wouldn’t be denied as Lauren Hemp used her trademark tenacity to put England back in front in the 71st before she set up Alessia Russo to put the match on ice in the 86th.
“We achieved the Final and it's unbelievable,” Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman said. “It feels like we won it, but we didn't win it, we just won this game. We played a hard game but again we found a way to win. We scored three goals. We have been talking about ruthlessness all the time and this team has ruthlessness, whether it is up front or in defence. We want to keep the ball out of the net and we really want to win. We stick together and stick to the plan and it worked again.”
Battle-tested from defeating Germany in extra time in the Euro 2022 Final at Wembley on Chloe Kelly’s 110th-minute marker, England will try to use that experience to claim the ultimate prize on Sunday. It would be the first World Cup, men’s or women’s, for England since 1966.
“You can win in many different ways and, for us, we’ve faced so many challenges at this tournament,” acting captain Millie Bright said. “It's hard to for people to see on the outside, but as players, we know that there's more to football than just pretty passes and connecting. In each game, we've proved something different about how we play, what we're capable of. We're very adaptable to what teams throw at us. But things are really starting to click now and we’re getting the ball in the back of the net.”
Bright’s club teammate Jess Carter thinks Spain might pose the most difficult test yet.
“They’re going to be incredible on the ball,” the Chelsea centre-back said. “They have got some very technical players who are very intricate with how they play. We’re going to have to stay disciplined, be compact in our shape and be difficult to beat.”
Barcelona defender Lucy Bronze, who will be playing against a number of her club teammates on Sunday, thinks that England’s ability to punch back on the counter could make the difference against Spain.
“Spain have got the best technical players in the world in my opinion,” Bronze said. “They've been unbelievable in this tournament and they've dominated most games in possession. They've got their strengths, but they've also got their weaknesses. We watched their game against Japan [a 4-0 loss] so they have suffered quite a heavy defeat in this World Cup already. That's something we can look at. They like to feel in control of the game with possession but we're a team that can possess the ball or be comfortable without it. We showed against Australia we're really good on the break. We can build goals, score from set-pieces and from counter-attacks. A lot of the goals Spain have conceded have been on the counter. That seems to be their vulnerability – and it's one of our strengths. We’ve got players like Lauren Hemp, who is incredibly fast, and Alessia Russo, who has got an eye for goal. It's a good recipe.”
The Lionesses will also be buoyed by the return of joint-leading scorer Lauren James. James, whose three goals at tournament put her level with Hemp and Russo, is eligible to return after serving a two-game ban for her straight red card in the closing stages of the team’s Round of 16 victory over Nigeria. But James’s availability also presents a challenge to Wiegman, who must decide whether to hand James a return to the starting XI or go with her replacement, Toone, who played well in her absence and scored against the Matildas.
The winner of Sunday’s match will join Germany as the only nations to win both the men’s and women’s World Cup.
