Spain secured its first Women’s World Cup title by defeating England 1-0, becoming the first European team to win since Germany in 2007.
Game highlight: Olga Carmona scored the only goal in the first half of the match, marking her second key goal after scoring the game-winner in Spain’s 2-1 semifinal victory over Sweden.
* Carmona became the first player since Carli Lloyd in 2015 to score in a World Cup semifinal and final.
Backdrop: Spain’s victory comes following a near-mutiny by players last year, with fifteen players stepping away from the national team for mental health reasons.
* In spite of the tension, three of those players reconciled with the federation and participated in the World Cup.
In contrast: England suffered from the absence of key players due to injuries, but still had momentum coming into the tournament after winning the European Championship at home last summer.
* Three of the team’s best players, captain Leah Williamson, Fran Kirby and Beth Mead, were off the squad due to knee injuries.
Facts & figures: Despite some robust attempts, England failed to score against Spain’s strong defense.
* England’s best chances came in the 16th minute when one shot hit the crossbar, and later attempts were thwarted by Spain’s goalkeeper.
Note: Spain’s coach Jorge Vilda had a challenge on his hand working around two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, who was benched for most of the match due to her recent recovery from a torn ACL.
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