SYDNEY: Women’s football will crown a first-time champion on Sunday when the ninth Women’s World Cup concludes with England and Spain, both proud footballing nations, facing off in an intriguing final in Sydney.

The highly-successful tourna­ment in Australia and New Zealand was destined to have a fresh winner from the quarter-finals when Japan joined the United States, Germany and Norway in making a premature exit.

For all the excitement that accompanied Austra­lia’s run to the semi-finals and Japan’s brilliance in the early rounds, the consensus is that England and Spain are worthy first-time finalists.

“I think it’s going to be a brilliant game,” England captain Millie Bright enthused on Saturday.

“Two top teams coming head-to-head. And ultimately the game is about getting the ball in the back of the net and executing the game plan. So find a way to win.”

The tournament has showcased the development of the women’s game but the finalists do present a contrast in styles — England pragmatic, ruthless, resilient and Spain displaying all the technical skill the country’s football is famed for.

Midfield maestro Aitana Bonmati and the fresh young talent of winger Salma Paralluelo have shone brightly for Spain, while Lauren James, before her two-match ban for a red card, and Lauren Hemp have been among England’s standouts.

The finalists have had their blips — Spain thrashed 4-0 by Japan in their last group game and England taken to penalties by Nigeria in the last 16 — but both have grown into the tournament and were convincing semi-final winners.

Expectations of a tight final in front of another sellout crowd of 75,000 at Stadium Australia might not be too wide of the mark if England’s 2-1 win in the European Champi­onship quarter-final betw­een the sides last year is any guide.

“This was a game we know were on top of, but it’s the result that counts,” said Spain coach Jorge Vilda. “England knows what they have in front of them tomorrow. Our team has evolved, our team has grown in this World Cup and mentally we’ve taken a step up.”

England needed an extra time goal to beat Spain last year and continue their run to their first major title, a campaign on home soil conducted to the strains of ‘Football’s Coming Home’ during which the Lione­sses captured the hearts of a nation.

Although they have had their share of injury setbacks this year, they have maintained the self-belief the Euros triumph and their calm Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman has imbued in them.

“We are ready,” Wiegma­­n­ said on Saturday. “Techni­­c­ally, tactically. We have watched Spain, of course, analysed them with our analysis team, and I think we’re ready.”

For Spain, the defeat in Brighton marked the start of rumblings of discontent in the dressing room which ended in outright mutiny against Vilda earlier this year.

The coach has kept his counsel on the dispute which robbed Spain of a handful of their top players for the tournament and if there is a split in the camp it was not in evidence when they celebrated their semi-final win over Sweden.

“What we want to do tomorrow is to be the best in the world,” he said on Saturday. “And we’ll do this by winning the final.”

SWEDEN TAKE THIRD PLACE TO SPOIL AUSTRALIA’S PARTY

In on-pitch action on Saturday, Sweden picked up their fourth bronze medal after goals from Fridolina Rolfo and Kosovare Asllani gave them a 2-0 win over co-hosts Australia in the third-place playoff match at Lang Park in Brisbane.

The Swedes, ranked third in the world, were awarded a penalty in the 28th minute after a VAR review showed Australia defender Clare Hunt clipped Stina Blacks­tenius’ heels, and forward Rolfo slotted home the resulting spot kick.

Sweden captain Asllani doubled their lead just after the hour mark, rifling a sweet strike from the edge of the penalty area beyond goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold following another quick counter-attack.

“It was an incredibly important match and the final 10 minutes were really tough,” coach Peter Gerhardsson said. “So when that final whistle went and we had won, there was a great sense of relief and it was a wonderful feeling. It’s great to win a match of this magnitude — there’s been a lot of attention paid to this tournament back in Sweden.”

While disappointed to sign off at the World Cup with another defeat, the Matildas still achieved their best result at the tournament after a stellar run, having never previously gone beyond the quarter-final stage.

“We wanted to bring home a medal for this team, for the fans, for family and friends, for this country,” Australia coach Tony Gustavsson said. “We’re hurt ... I’m so sorry we couldn’t give everyone this bronze medal.

“I’m too emotional now to reflect on the whole journey ... But when we distance ourselves from this game and look at the whole tournament, I think maybe we won something bigger than a medal, considering how the nation has supported us.”

Earlier in the day, Australia’s Prime Mini­ster Anthony Alban­ese promised A$200 million ($128 million) for women’s sport in the wake of the Matildas run to a maiden Women’s World Cup semi-finals.

Albanese said the funds would be used to improve sports facilities and equipment for women and girls, with soccer tipped to need “significant resourcing” following the Matildas’ standout World Cup campaign.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2023