A winner is crowned: Spain wins 2023 World Cup with 1-0 victory over England
A winner has been crowned.
After a month of play Down Under, Spain have walked away victorious, beating England 1-0 on Sunday at Stadium Australia in Sydney to win their first World Cup title.
La Roja scored its lone goal in the 29th minute with a sharp kick from Olga Carmona that landed in the right corner of the net. After 13 minutes of extra time, players raised their arms in victory and hugged each other with tears streaming down their faces.
They are celebrating the championship a little less than a year after 15 players wrote letters of resignation from Spain's national team, decrying the leadership of head coach Jorge Vilda. Three of those players ended up playing in the World Cup as Vilda retained his position.
England had several chances to equalize. A shot in the 54th minute from Lauren Hemp was just wide left. Forward Lauren James came on the pitch as a second-half substitution after serving a two-game suspension and provided a boost for the Three Lionesses, but it wasn't enough.
Congratulations not only to the Spanish national team, but to all you fans who survived late nights and early mornings to witness history.
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For Spain's lone goal of their victory, defender Olga Carmona sprinted past forward Mariona Caldentey to gain position on the pitch. Caldentey sent a pass to Carmona, who took a dribble at the left corner of the box and shot a strike to score in the right corner of the net.
Golden moments
Aitana Bonmati came into this World Cup wanting to prove she’s the best player in the world.
That she did.
Bonmati was the deserving winner of the Golden Ball as the best player at this World Cup. The midfielder had three goals and two assists, but her contributions to Spain’s World Cup title run were immeasurable. She anchored a midfield that produced gorgeous passes and connecting play, and her defense was filthy.
"I'm so proud," Bonmati said on the Fox broadcast after the game. "We deserve it. We deserve it.
"We have been working for years for this moment."
Spain also had the best young player of the tournament in Salma Paralluelo, who had goals in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
Meanwhile, the Golden Boot, awarded each World Cup to the tournament's top scorer went to Japan's Hinata Miyazawa. She five goals before Japan was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
England’s Mary Earps, who saved a penalty kick in the final, was named the tournament’s best goalkeeper. Some on social media were even referring to Earps as "Mary, Queen of Saves."
What's next for USWNT?
The United States were eliminated in the Round of 16, their earliest World Cup exit in history. They were seeking a historic third-straight title.
Manager Vlatko Andonovski resigned shortly after the match where Sweden won in penalty kicks. He had been at the helm of the USWNT for four years. Assistant coach Twila Kilgore was named interim head coach.
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The Stars and Stripes will play next summer in the Paris Olympic Games. They will be without veterans Megan Rapinoe, who announced before the World Cup that the tournament would be her last, and Julie Ertz, who shared the news of her retirement after the USWNT were eliminated. Captain Alex Morgan's future is a question mark after she has played in four World Cups.
Mallory Swanson should be back after suffering a knee injury that kept her out of the World Cup. She will join Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Alyssa Thompson, who all made their debuts on the big stage.
Stay tuned to Paste BN Sports for all your USWNT coverage!