In a closely-fought final, Spain won the Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history, after a narrow 1-0 victory over England. It was a stroke of destiny for a team in conflict with Coach Jorge Vilda. A year after losing the Euro 2022 quarter-finals to the eventual winners, La Roja took their revenge in Sydney. Absent for much of the match, in front of a 76,000-strong crowd, Sarina Wiegman’s players bowed to the technical and tactical superiority of Alexia Putellas’ team-mates. Thus, they become the 5th nation to lift the World Cup trophy, much to the delight of their fans and those who placed bets on Spain at the best online bookmakers.
A few words on the final
The two sides remained committed to the playing styles they showed throughout the tournament. Spain went for the possession of the ball, the Three Lionesses depended on their explosiveness on the counter. However, La Roja absolutely dominated the first half, and managed to score the only goal of the match with Olga Carmona. In fact, the score could have easily been higher in their favor, however, they missed the opportunities they created.
The Brits were slightly better in the second half, however, for the opportunities they created, they were not clinical enough in front of goal. Despite the loss of a penalty by Hermosa, the Spaniards fully deserved to win the final and the trophy that went with it.
The absence of the major powers
When the tournament begun, everyone expected that it would lead yet to another title for the dominant force in women’s football, the U.S.A. national team. England held position #4 in the ranking, behind the number 2 Germans and the third best Sweden. Spain were further down the line at the 6th place. The complete failure of the Americans who barely made it to the first knockout matches (lost to Sweden) and the Germans who did not even make it through the group stage, made for the first major surprises of the competition. The Swedes managed to make it to the semi-finals, only to succumb to Spain’s superiority.
It would not be an understatement to state that this World Cup marked a re-distribution in the balance of power for the national teams. The disqualification of Norway by Japan marked another major upset, as did the failures of other top members of the ranking like Brazil and Denmark. The Australians saved some face by making it to the semi-finals.
It’s precisely this re-distribution that opens new opportunities for those who register for an account at the best betting platform. A great deal of confrontations in the past featured a clear favorite, a clear underdog, and a certainty on the outcome. That’s no longer the case.
