West News Wire: Spain defeated England 1-0 in the Women’s World Cup final to claim the title for the first time.
In the 29th minute of the match at Stadium Australia on Sunday, captain Olga Carmona scored by drilling in from the left of the box after England lost possession in midfield and Spain promptly counterattack to take advantage.
Shortly after the hour mark, Spain was given a penalty for a handball by midfielder Keira Walsh. Jennifer Hermoso was awarded a penalty kick, but custodian Mary Earps saved it by diving to her left.
With striker Lauren James added to the lineup, England coach Sarina Wiegman made a number of adjustments, but they were unable to tie the game as Spain clung on to win their first major championship.
Since Sarina Wiegman took over as coach, England has lost just twice in 39 games, preventing them from adding a first-ever world championship to their European Championship victory from the previous year.
England almost had the upper hand in the match between two first-time finalists as the first Women’s World Cup final without either the United States or Germany got off to a fast start.
Forward In the fifth minute, Lauren Hemp smashed the ball towards goal before clipping a shot against the bar 12 minutes later. This was a continuation of her performance in the semifinal versus Australia.
Salma Paralluelo, a young player from Spain, was unable to make a save after Carmona drove the ball across the goal while overlapping along the left flank.
