Category: Football

Kylian Mbappe won and converted a penalty on his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) return on Saturday in a 1-1 draw at Toulouse after being reinstated to the first team following a contract dispute with the French champions.

The France captain started on the bench but came on in the 51st minute and promptly broke the deadlock, drawing a foul from Rasmus Nicolaisen and tucking away the resulting spot-kick just past the hour mark.

Zakaria Aboukhlal equalised with a penalty three minutes from time after he was tugged back by Morocco team-mate Achraf Hakimi, leaving Luis Enrique still searching for his first win as PSG coach.

“The result is a disappointment. The draw is mainly down to a lack of luck,” said the Spaniard, refusing to be drawn into a debate over Mbappe beginning the game as a substitute.

“I know you (the media) like these controversial questions but my staff and I are going to keep managing things how we see fit.”

Mbappe’s appearance was his first for PSG since a friendly on July 21 after not being invited to the pre-season tour in Japan and South Korea and then missing the opening 0-0 draw against Lorient.

He had been made to train with players the club are trying to offload after he refused to sign an extension to his PSG deal, but the 24-year-old was brought back into the fold last Sunday after holding “constructive and positive discussions” with the club.

The U-turn came just two days before Neymar was sold to Saudi side Al-Hilal for a fee believed to be close to 100 million euros ($109 million).

French media reported Mbappe made Neymar’s departure one of the necessary conditions for him to sign a new contract in 2022, when the former was strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Mbappe was joined in the squad in Toulouse by new signing Ousmane Dembele, the two close friends named on the bench for the visit to the French Cup holders.

PSG created few clear-cut chances a week ago against Lorient and were again limited in the first half, Hakimi denied by the legs of Guillaume Restes and Goncalo Ramos thwarted by a sharp reflex stop.

Mikkel Desler curled an attempt narrowly over for Toulouse before teenager Warren Zaire-Emery’s fine strike was ruled out for offside just after the break.

Luis Enrique soon turned to Mbappe and Dembele, the latter wearing the number 10 shirt vacated by Neymar, and their impact on the game was almost immediate.

Mbappe’s foot was caught by the trailing leg of Nicolaisen, the PSG forward awarded a penalty after a VAR review and sweeping home the opening goal.

Dembele’s clipped ball through for Vitinha saw the Portuguese midfielder lift over the advancing Restes only for his effort to spin just wide of the post.

PSG’s inability to add a second goal proved costly when Hakimi was punished for needlessly impeding Aboukhlal as he chased the ball on the edge of the box.

Aboukhlal, who scored in last week’s 2-1 win at Nantes, beat Gianluigi Donnarumma from the spot to snatch a valuable point for the hosts.

“I’m very happy with the result and very proud of the team. For us it’s like a victory,” said Toulouse coach Carles Martinez Novell, who worked with Barcelona’s youth teams when Luis Enrique was in charge there.

Lyon slumped to a second straight defeat to start the season as captain Alexandre Lacazette was sent off in a 4-1 home loss to Montpellier earlier on Saturday.

Beaten by Strasbourg last weekend, Lyon fell behind to an Arnaud Nordin goal before Jordan international Mousa Al-Tamari struck in either half for Montpellier.

Lacazette pulled a goal back but then saw red for kicking out in frustration at Teji Savanier.

Nigerian Akor Adams, who scored twice on his Montpellier debut in a 2-2 draw with Le Havre, compounded Lyon’s misery with a late fourth goal.

READ: Bellingham’s brace helps Real Madrid sink Almeria in La Liga

Lionel Messi scored a screamer and won his first trophy in North American soccer as Inter Miami beat Nashville on penalties (10-9) after their final ended 1-1 in 90 minutes.

The Argentine World Cup winner had put Inter Miami ahead in the 24th minute with a wonder strike into the top corner but Fafa Picault levelled for Nashville in the second half.

After Messi hit the post and Leonardo Campana missed a last-second chance to win the game in regulation for Miami, the game went to a shoot-out which ended in a duel between the two keepers and Elliot Panicco’s shot being saved by Miami’s Drake Callender.

Messi and his teammates rushed to celebrate with the American goalkeeper, who had made some key saves late in the game to keep his team alive.

Inter Miami, in their third season of existence, were rock bottom of Major League Soccer when Messi joined them a month ago but Messi, along with Spanish pair Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, has utterly transformed the team leading them on a seven-game unbeaten run to the League Cup title.

Co-owner David Beckham, who created the club, said he was stunned by the way the former Barcelona trio had been able to bring about change so quickly.

“It is like a movie, you watch these players play and it is, emotionally, everything about their play is beautiful,” he said.

Seven-times Ballon d’Or winner Messi has now scored 10 goals in seven games in the pink shirt of his new club and on Wednesday has the chance to reach another final when his team take on Cincinnati in the semi-final of the US Open Cup.

This was not the dominant, entertaining Miami that in the past month has lit up the tournament, featuring MLS and Mexican Liga MX clubs, but the win was sweet nonetheless.

“I am very happy to win our first title in just one month, the club’s first. The team is growing by leaps and bounds and we are very happy,” said midfielder Busquets.

“We have infected the team with our spirit, our work, our character and experience. We are making a solid team … And then we have Leo, who makes a difference because he’s the best in the world.”

Nashville set out with the clear intention to limit the impact of Busquets and by extension Messi and they were effective in forcing Miami to play a slower type of possession football, deeper in their own half.

Gary Smith’s side sent an early warning that they could trouble Miami at set-pieces with Walker Zimmerman’s header from a Lukas MacNaughton corner forcing Callender into a low save.

Inter Miami were probing, with Messi dropping deeper and looking for gaps in the home defense.

But with Walker Zimmerman marshalling the back line well chances were hard to come by until Robert Taylor spun and turned and fired a fierce drive which Nashville keeper Elliot Panicco did well to keep out.

Three minutes later, Miami had the lead —  and the source of their breakthrough was no surprise.

Taylor’s attempted pass inside was blocked and the ball fell to Messi who zipped past Zimmerman, opening enough space to his left to unleash an unstoppable drive from over 25 yards out which flew into the top corner past the helpless Panicco.

Miami looked in total control, playing with confidence bordering on swagger, but it was a different story after the interval.

From a corner, Picault won a header at the back post which ricocheted in off the foot of Benjamin Cremaschi and Callender.

Suddenly Nashville had the belief and their German forward Hany Mukhtar came alive, testing Miami with his speedy runs and Callender with a blast from the right.

Messi went close to another Hollywood ending with a 71st-minute shot from just outside the box which shaved the outside of the post.

But in the final seconds, his Ecuadorian team-mate Campana should have won the game for Miami when he rounded Panicco but from a tight angle could only hit the post with the goal at his mercy.

Then came penalties and with all 10 outfield players having shot, with one miss for each side, it came down to the keepers and Callender kept his cool with his shot before denying Panicco and launching the celebrations.

While the players sprayed champagne in the locker room, Argentine coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino was in a reflective mood.

“The most important thing we had to do is put together a team while we were playing a seven-game tournament, and that’s very difficult to do,” he said.

“We now have greater clarity about what the future may hold for us after winning this title in 30 days”.

READ: Bellingham’s brace helps Real Madrid sink Almeria in La Liga

Real Madrid started the 2023-24 La Liga with back-to-back victories as they registered a thumping win over Almeria 3-1 on Saturday, thanks to Jude Bellingham, who scored two goals in his second La Liga game.

This victory rocketed Real Madrid to the top of the table, while Almeria sunk to the bottom after the loss.

Almeria finished 17th last season and lost to Rayo Vallecano 2-0 at home in their season-opener, however, they started off well against Real Madrid with an early advantage as Sergio Arribas scored off a header in the third minute to give the home side a lead of 1-0.

However, Jude Bellingham pulled his side back with an equalizer in the 19th minute to bring the scores to level.

Both sides fought well to close the first half at a solid 1-1 after a goal by Toni Kroos in the extra time was ruled out by VAR.

The second half started equally well for both times, however, Real Madrid pulled things back in their favour just before the 60th minute, when Jude Bellingham met a Toni Kroos’ shot and successfully scored the header to give his team the lead.

Jude Bellingham further added an assist to his tally when he assisted Vinicius Jr to score a decisive third goal for Real Madrid in the 72nd minute.

Almeria’s Luis Suarez made several attempts to score but to no avail, as Real Madrid kept their lead intact until the final whistle.

This was Jude Bellingham’s second game for Real Madrid, after making his La Liga debut with a goal in Real Madrid’s season opener against Atheltic Bilbao (Athletic Club).

Notably, the 19-year-old English midfielder Bellingham joined Real Madrid this summer from Borussia Dortmund at a base transfer fee of €103 million.

In another game, the aforementioned Atheltic Bilbao defeated Osasuna 2-0 to register their first win of the season. They scored the first goal in the eleventh-minute curtesy Inaki Williams, meanwhile, Gorka Guruzeta further improved the lead to 2-0 in the 20th minute before being reduced to ten men as Oihan Sancet was sent out in the 59th minute.

READ: All-round Hasaranga powers B-Love Kandy into LPL final at Titans’ disposal

Sweden scored either side of half-time to spoil Australia’s party and claim third spot at the Women’s World Cup with a 2-0 win in Brisbane on Saturday.

In front of a crowd of nearly 50,000, Sweden took the lead with a 30th-minute penalty by Fridolina Rolfo and doubled their advantage with a powerful strike from Kosovare Asllani just after the hour.

It is the fourth time that Sweden have finished third in the Women’s World Cup.

“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.”

Sweden fully deserved their win against the hosts, dominating the midfield and keeping talismanic Australian striker Sam Kerr relatively quiet.

Australia’s other dangerous attacker, Mary Fowler, had a night to forget as she struggled physically against the size and power of the Swedish defenders.

By contrast, Sweden striker Stina Blackstenius caused havoc among the Australian defence during her 63 minutes on the pitch and had a hand in both goals.

Player of the match Rolfo said: “We showed from minute one that we were the better team. We deserved (to win) this match.”

Some of the Australian players were in tears at the end, but this was still the co-hosts’ best Women’s World Cup ever.

“We wanted to have some hardware to take home, it wasn’t to be,” said Kerr, who did not start a game at the tournament until the 3-1 semi-final defeat to England because of injury.

The skipper attempted to look at the bigger picture, saying: “We’ve proved to the world — and also within Australia — that we are a footballing nation.”

The Swedes began with far more intent than the Matildas and dominated for most of the first period.

Playing a bit like England in the semi-final on Wednesday, the Swedes slowed the ball down and controlled the midfield.

Australia only really looked dangerous on the transition and for much of the time they were chasing shadows, struggling to get any meaningful possession.

The Swedes had a golden chance to take the lead in the first 60 seconds when Blackstenius shot low across the goal.

Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, who had another excellent night, parried the ball away and Ellie Carpenter did well to clear from in front of an open goal.

The Matildas didn’t have their first shot until the 24th minute when a Hayley Raso drive drew a good save from Sweden keeper Zecira Musovic.

But minutes later Sweden took the lead when VAR ruled that Clare Hunt had clipped Blackstenius’s heel after yet another dangerous run into the box from the Swedish striker.

Australia coach Tony Gustavsson made an attacking change on the 60-minute mark, bringing on Emily van Egmond and Cortnee Vine, but it was Sweden who continued to control the Women’s World Cup third-place playoff.

They went some way to silencing the sell-out crowd when Blackstenius laid a ball across goal for Asllani, who smashed a powerful strike past a diving Arnold.

It was their last contribution of the night as both were subbed almost immediately.

Australia tried desperately to breach the Swedish defence in the last 20 minutes by lumping deep crosses into the box but Musovic was largely untroubled to keep a clean sheet.

READ: Bangladesh’s Mohammad Naim walks on fire to prepare for Asia Cup

Valencia edged Las Palmas 1-0 at home to earn back-to-back victories which propelled them to pip Atletico Madrid at the summit of the ongoing La Liga 2023/24.

Midfielder José “Pepelu” Garcia, who arrived from Levante in the offseason, successfully converted a penalty in the 73rd minute after Javi Moz was booked for a handball in the area.

Valencia, who struggled to avoid relegation last season, started this campaign on a high as they claimed back-to-back victories, beating Sevilla 2-1 and Las Palmas respectively.

Ruben Baraja’s side lost several key players in the summer including their regular starters Samuel Lino, Edinson Cavani, Yunus Musah, Justin Kluivert, Ilaix Moriba and Nico González.

The first half of the game saw Las Palmas’ goalkeeper Álvaro Vallés saving shots by Diego López and Thierry Correa when the visitors enjoyed more possession but the hosts had better chances.

Valencia next face Osasuna on Sunday (August 27) while Las Palmas will take on Real Sociedad on August 27.

Meanwhile, in another La Liga fixture, Villarreal claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over RCD Mallorca, courtesy of a brilliant second-half goal by Gerard Moreno.

The two sides put on a rigorous battle at San Moix but despite Quique Setien’s aggressive lineup, Villarreal struggled to establish a rhythm and create chances at first.

Alex Baena and Ben Brereton Diaz then stood out in the later part of the first half, allowing Villarreal to push forward more.

The Yellow Submarine finally got the reward when a corner saw the ball fired towards Predrag Rajkovic, who deflected it to Gerard, who then guided it in for the only goal of the game.

Mallorca then made desperate efforts to push forward, leaving their defence wide open and substitute Etienne Capoue tried to make the most of it but Villarreal failed to strike again to make the victory more dominating.

READ: Punjab government assures PCB of infallible arrangements for Asia Cup

Sevilla’s Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has become the latest big name to quit Europe for the riches of Saudi Arabia, signing for Al-Hilal the two teams announced on Friday. 

Bounou, who featured in this week’s UEFA Super Cup match against Manchester City,  is the second big signing for Al-Hilal this week, following the transfer of Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain.

“FC Sevilla and Al-Hilal have reached an agreement for the transfer of goalkeeper Bounou to the Asian team,” said Sevilla in a statement, while Al-Hilal released a video on X (formerly Twitter) in which the player spoke in Arabic.

The value of the deal was not made public by either club, although the Spanish press put it at 20 million euros ($21.7 million).

Yassine Bounou — or “Bono” as the name on his shirt reads — joined Seville from Girona four years ago and had been linked with a move this season to Real Madrid as cover for the injured Thibaut Courtois before they opted instead for Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The 32-year-old was also a key member of the Morocco team that reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Yassine Bounou is the latest in a growing line of players who are leaving Europe for Saudi Arabia, including Sadio Mane, who has signed for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad) and Kalidou Koulibaly who will be their teammate at Al-Hilal.

Earlier this week, Brazilian striker Neymar bid farewell to French champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after six years as he signed a two-year deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.

Al-Hilal has roped in Neymar until 2025, and will reportedly pay PSG €90 million as a transfer fee for the star forward.

Saudi Professional League (SPL) club Al-Hilal announced Neymar’s signing with a video on the team’s social media accounts.

Neymar can be seen in the video saying, “I am here in Saudi Arabia, I am Hilali.”

After signing the contract, the star Brazilian expressed his excitement to embark on a new adventure and test himself with ‘new challenges and opportunities in new places.’

“I have achieved a lot in Europe and enjoyed special times, but I have always wanted to be a global player and test myself with new challenges and opportunities in new places,” Neymar said.

“I want to write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment,” he further added.

READ: Hasan Ali undergoes finger surgery during LPL

England captain Harry Kane said on Wednesday he made the move to Bayern Munich “to feel a new pressure of having to win titles every year”.

Kane, 30, left Tottenham in a deal worth an initial 100 million euros ($110 million) on Saturday after spending his whole career with his boyhood club.

Speaking with Sky Sports, Kane revealed his desire to play consistently at the highest level was behind the move.

“A lot of people talk about the trophies and why I came here but ultimately it was to improve and to feel a new pressure of having to win titles every year, having to go far in the Champions League and pushing myself to that limit.”

Kane left Tottenham as the side’s record goalscorer with 280 in all competitions but did not lift any silverware during his time in north London.

Tottenham lost the 2019 Champions League final to Liverpool, as well as two League Cup finals during Kane’s stint at the club.

Six-time European champions Bayern have won the past 11 Bundesliga titles and are favourites for domestic honours again this season.

The England captain said team achievements rather than individual goals were his focus in the Bavarian capital.

“If you’re winning games, if you’re winning titles, if you’re winning Champions Leagues it will likely mean I’ll be scoring goals, which then allows you to win other individual awards, but that all comes from what you achieve as a team.”

Harry Kane came off the bench late in Bayern Munich’s 3-0 Super Cup loss to RB Leipzig on Saturday, just hours after finalising his deal.

He could make his Bundesliga debut on Friday away at Werder Bremen.

The forward, who is also England’s top goalscorer, said he would relish the pressure of playing for one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

“When you are at a club like Bayern Munich you have to win. There are no questions about it.

“If you don’t win or you don’t perform well there are going to be question marks.”

Kane said he knew the move away from England would be “strange to begin with”.

“I’ll miss it to begin with, but I think my focus is here… I’m really excited for this challenge and trying to help this team.”

READ: Neymar signs two-year deal with Saudi Club Al-Hilal

Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo did the damage late on as England shattered Australia’s dreams Wednesday with a clinical 3-1 win in Sydney to set up a Women’s World Cup final against Spain.

The Lionesses had stumbled at the same stage twice before but the European champions made no mistake this time to silence most of the 75,000 crowd and roar into the Women’s World Cup final for the first time.

They deservedly took the lead nine minutes before the break with Manchester United’s Ella Toone unleashing a rocket just inside the box with the outside of her boot.

A fit-again Sam Kerr, starting for the first time this tournament, hit back for the home side just after the hour with a world-class goal that set the game on fire.

The skipper picked up the ball, went on a weaving run through England’s half and let fly from 30 yards into the top corner.

It sparked ecstatic scenes but the crowd were silenced just eight minutes later when Hemp muscled her way into the box and stabbed into the corner, before Russo put the icing on the cake with four minutes left of normal time.

“We played a hard game but again we found a way to win,” said England coach Sarina Wiegman, who also took her native Netherlands to the 2019 final, before losing 2-0 to the United States.

“We have been talking about ruthlessness and this team has ruthlessness, whether it is up front or in defence.

“I never take anything for granted, but it’s like I’m living in a fairytale or something,” she added.

England now face a final on Sunday, also at Stadium Australia, against a dangerous Spanish side that beat Sweden 2-1 in the last four.

“Every game in this tournament has been of the highest level so we have to be ready,” said Russo

“But we’ve been dreaming since we were little girls. We’re excited, we’ll recover and be ready.”

England had been in this position before, in 2015 and 2019, losing 2-1 on both occasions, with a third-place finish their best World Cup before now.

But Wiegman led them to the European title last year on home soil and captain Millie Bright said before the semi-final they were now better-placed to handle big-pressure games.

They demonstrated their resilience at a pumping and partisan Stadium Australia, successfully blanking out the boos and jeers to silence an expectant home nation.

Despite losing Australia have enjoyed their best Women’s World Cup ever, with a third-placed playoff against Sweden on Saturday still to play.

“I feel for so many tonight, the players left it all out there,” said Australia coach Tony Gustavsson. “But it was one of those nights. England were clinical.

“Our defending in the first half was solid, but we were not brave enough on the ball. In the second half we started playing the type of game we can play.”

With influential striker Kerr fit again, Gustavsson moved Emily van Egmond to the bench in one of two changes with defender Clare Polkinghorne in for an ill Alanna Kennedy.

England stuck to the same XI that beat Colombia 2-1 with striker Lauren James serving the second of a two-match ban — she will be eligible to play on Sunday.

Kerr was in the thick of the early action and England ruthlessly looked to close her down with some heavy challenges, one of them earning Alex Greenwood a yellow card.

But as England grew in confidence they began controlling the midfield battle.

Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold rescued Australia when she deflected Georgia Stanway’s strike with her legs.

The breakthrough came in the 36th minute with Toone, in the side for James, arrowing her shot into the top right corner after Hemp pulled the ball back from the touchline.

With 45 minutes to save their tournament, Australia frantically pressed forward and it paid dividends when Kerr’s wonder strike drew them level.

But England were unmoved and when Ellie Carpenter misjudged a long ball into the box, Hemp hustled her way through to score from close range.

Kerr then missed a golden chance to draw level again, and a minute later Russo found herself alone in the box and finished calmly with her right foot to seal a deserved win for England.

READ: Tickets for Asia Cup 2023 Sri Lanka leg go on sale

Brazilian striker Neymar, on Tuesday, bid farewell to French champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after six years as he signed a two-year deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.

Al-Hilal has roped in Neymar until 2025, and will reportedly pay PSG €90 million as a transfer fee for the star forward.

Saudi Professional League (SPL) club Al-Hilal announced Neymar’s signing with a video on the team’s social media accounts.

Neymar can be seen in the video saying, “I am here in Saudi Arabia, I am Hilali.”

“I am here in Saudi Arabia, i am HILALI 💙”@neymarjr #AlHilal
pic.twitter.com/q7VUhf0FnQ

— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) August 15, 2023

After signing the contract, the star Brazilian expressed his excitement to embark on a new adventure and test himself with ‘new challenges and opportunities in new places.’

“I have achieved a lot in Europe and enjoyed special times, but I have always wanted to be a global player and test myself with new challenges and opportunities in new places,” Neymar said.

“I want to write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment,” he further added.

📝 Neymar Jr Signs With Al-Hilal Until 2025#AlHilal 💙#Neymar_Hilali pic.twitter.com/Ll3FV6ouph

— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) August 15, 2023

Neymar has joined the list of star players like Karim Benzema, and Sadio Mane, who joined Saudi Arabian clubs following the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr last season.

“I have heard a lot and learned that I am following a long list of Brazilian players who have played in Saudi Arabia over the years, so I believe it is the desired place. I love winning and scoring goals, and I plan to continue doing that in Saudi Arabia and with Al-Hilal” said Neymar.

Neymar joined PSG in 2017 for a world record fee of 222 million euros ($242 million). He scored 118 goals in 173 matches for PSG, winning five Ligue 1 titles and three French Cups.

Al-Hilal also reportedly tried to rope in Neymar’s former Barcelona and PSG team-mate Lionel Messi, however, the Argentinian went on to sign for American club Inter Miami.

READ: Ben Stokes comes out of ODI retirement ahead of World Cup

Olga Carmona’s stunning 89th-minute strike gave Spain a 2-1 win over Sweden on Tuesday to propel them into the Women’s World Cup final for the first time in their history.

Spain’s thrilling victory at Eden Park sets up a showdown in Sydney on Sunday with either Australia or England, who meet in the other Women’s semi-final on Wednesday.

The last-four clash in Auckland seemed to be drifting towards extra time before suddenly bursting to life when substitute Salma Paralluelo put Spain ahead with nine minutes left.

Rebecka Blomqvist equalised for Sweden in the 88th minute only for full-back Carmona, Spain’s captain, to score with a superb shot in off the underside of the crossbar from the edge of the box 60 seconds later.

“We are so proud of everything we have done and for getting to the final because now we are one small step away from glory,” said Paralluelo.

It has been a remarkable run for a nation who had never previously gone beyond the last 16 at a Women’s World Cup, and for a team who had been in disarray in the months leading up to the tournament.

Fifteen Spanish players told their federation last September that they no longer wished to be considered for selection, mainly out of unhappiness with coach Jorge Vilda, and only three of them returned for this Women’s World Cup run.

While their dream of World Cup glory remains alive, Sweden are left with a familiar feeling after going so far at another major tournament before falling short.

This is the third time in four Women’s World Cups that they have reached the semi-finals, only to lose on each occasion.

Peter Gerhardsson’s side also lost in the last four at the European Championship last year, having been beaten in the final of the Tokyo Olympics on penalties against Canada in 2021.

“Everyone just feels sadness and huge disappointment,” said Gerhardsson, whose team had been so impressive in beating Japan 2-1 in the last eight.

“We were up against an excellent Spanish side and they were able to disrupt us a lot more than Japan did.”

Vilda decided against handing a start to Paralluelo, after she came off the bench to score the winner in the quarter-final against the Netherlands.

Instead he recalled Alexia Putellas and the reigning Ballon d’Or winner started for the first time since Spain were walloped 4-0 by Japan in the group phase.

The plan was clearly to dominate possession and make a more physically imposing Sweden do the chasing.

Spain had far more of the ball in the first half but the closest they came to breaking the deadlock was from long range when Jennifer Hermoso laid the ball back to Carmona, whose shot whistled wide.

Sweden had taken the game to Japan in the quarter-finals but they offered next to nothing here until suddenly they almost struck three minutes before half-time.

Nathalie Bjorn sent a hanging cross from the right to the back post for Fridolina Rolfo –- facing seven of her Barcelona club colleagues in the Spain starting line-up -– but her side-foot volley was saved by Cata Coll.

Vilda’s plan was clearly to save the pacy Paralluelo for when the Swedish defence was tiring, and it was just before the hour mark that he turned to the former athlete.

Paralluelo replaced Putellas, who has still not completed 90 minutes at this World Cup as she continues to recover to full fitness following a serious knee injury.

The substitute’s persistence almost brought the opener for Spain with 20 minutes left as she stretched to keep the ball in play, but Alba Redondo turned her cutback wide.

Paralluelo then struck with nine minutes of normal time remaining, showing a killer instinct to lash a shot low into the corner.

Sweden drew level in the 88th minute thanks to two substitutes of their own.

Lina Hurtig had only just come on when she nodded down a cross for Blomqvist to fire home, raising the spectre of extra time.

But Carmona, the Real Madrid left-back, had other ideas as she clinched victory for Spain in style.

READ: Registration for ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 ticket sales commences today