2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Archives

Bonmati, Carmona and Kerr shortlisted for UEFA women’s player of year

Two Spanish Women’s World Cup winners, Aitana Bonmati and Olga Carmona, and Chelsea’s Australian striker Sam Kerr were on Friday named on the three-player shortlist for UEFA’s women’s Player of the Year award.

Bonmati, who plays for European champions Barcelona, captained Spain at the World Cup and was named player of the tournament. Carmona, of Real Madrid, scored the only goal in the final against England.

Kerr, a semi-finalist with host country Australia, was Chelsea’s top scorer as they won the English Super League and lost to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final.

The trio were chosen in a vote by coaches of clubs who played in last season’s Champions League group stages, coaches of the 55 UEFA-affiliated countries and a panel of European journalists.

England and Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps just missed out as the fourth-highest vote-getter.

The winner will be announced on August 31 in Monaco at the draw for the men’s Champions League group stage.

Spain and Barcelona striker Alexia Putellas has won the past two years.

The three finalists for the coaching award are Barcelona’s Jonatan Giraldez and the two World Cup final coaches, Jorge Vilda of Spain, and Dutchwoman Sarina Wiegman who led England.

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Spain tame England to win Women’s World Cup for first time

Spain won the Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history with skipper Olga Carmona sweeping in the only goal for a deserved 1-0 victory over England in Sunday’s final.

In front of a crowd of nearly 76,000 at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Spain were the more accomplished side and had more chances, including missing a second-half penalty.

Spain’s triumph is vindication for Jorge Vilda and the Spanish football federation, who stuck with the coach even after 15 players last year said they no longer wanted to represent their country under him.

England coach Sarina Wiegman, who has now suffered back-to-back defeats in the final, and her European champions can have few complaints.

Spain are the fifth team to lift the World Cup since the tournament began in 1991, joining outgoing champions the United States, Germany, Norway and Japan.

In front of Spain’s Queen Letizia, defender Carmona scored what turned out to be the winner, rampaging from left-back to thrash the ball in low and hard on 29 minutes.

Wiegman had resisted the temptation to recall Chelsea attacker Lauren James after her two-match ban and kept faith with the team that beat co-hosts Australia 3-1 in the semi-finals.

Playing in their blue second kit, England had the first sniff of a chance in the fifth minute but Lauren Hemp shot weakly at goalkeeper Cata Coll.

There was little to choose between them in the opening exchanges before both teams had golden opportunities on the quarter-hour mark.

First, Manchester City forward Hemp struck the bar with a curler that had Coll well beaten.

Spain went up the other end and should have scored but Salma Paralluelo — in for Alexia Putellas — missed the ball in the six-yard box.

Then Alba Redondo hit a first-time strike straight at goalkeeper Mary Earps with the England goal gaping.

Hemp then had another tame effort saved, before the game was momentarily held up in the 24th minute when a spectator darted onto the pitch before being wrestled away by security.

Five minutes later Spain, who had never won a knockout game at the Women’s World Cup until this tournament and had lost 4-0 to Japan in the group phase, were ahead.

Mariona Caldentey slid in an inch-perfect pass for Carmona, who came flying unmarked down the left before lashing the ball into the bottom corner.

Vilda, who recalled three of the 15 mutineers for the World Cup, did not even raise a smile on the sidelines.

England looked uncharacteristically rattled and the 19-year-old Barcelona attacker Paralluelo, who was a constant threat, shaved the post with the last kick of the half.

Wiegman, who suffered agony in the final four years ago when her Netherlands team lost 2-0 to the United States, made a double change at the break.

James and Chloe Kelly replaced Rachel Daly and Alessia Russo as Wiegman switched from a back-five to a flat back-four.

But it was Spain who nearly doubled their lead almost straight after half-time in the Women’s World Cup final, Caldentey dinking inside and forcing Earps to turn the ball around the post.

Hemp was booked for clipping Laia Codina as England’s frustration mounted.

Midfield schemer Aitana Bonmati, who has been one of the players of the tournament and was one of the three refuseniks recalled by Vilda, fired narrowly over Earps’s bar.

With 20 minutes left, Spain were awarded a penalty when VAR was called into action and, after a long review, Keira Walsh was judged to have handled the ball in the box.

Jennifer Hermoso stepped up but her penalty was weak and Earps saved comfortably to keep England just about alive.

Officials indicated 13 minutes of injury time at the end, but if anything, it was Spain who looked the more likely to score as England’s dreams of a first World Cup melted away.

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Ruthless England beat Australia to set up Women’s World Cup final with Spain

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.

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‘Landmark year’ for women’s football as FIFA WC nears 1m ticket sales

Organisers of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup – scheduled later this year in Australia and New Zealand – said they were close to selling one million tickets, reported BBC.

According to the report, around 850,000 tickets have already been sold for the event that takes place between July 20 and August 20, 2023.

“2023 is going to be a landmark moment for women’s football,” said Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura.

A FIFA spokesperson also informed the British broadcaster that over the next weeks, the one million ticket sale milestone will be crossed.

It is pertinent to mention here that the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be the ninth edition of the tournament, featuring 32 teams.

As women’s sports are gathering more and more viewership across the globe, FIFA expects the football megaevent to surpass a record 1.5 million ticket sales and around 2 billion viewers on television.

The United States women’s football team will defend their title at the event which begins with a grand opening ceremony at Eden Park, Auckland before the first match between co-hosts New Zealand and former World champions Norway.

A total of 64 matches will be played across ten venues in nine different cities of the Australian continent.

The final will take place on 20 August at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

Eight teams will feature in their first FIFA Women’s World Cup which includes Haiti, Republic of Ireland, Morocco, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Vietnam and Zambia.

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