Spain earns Women’s World Cup semifinal spot with win over Netherlands
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Salma Paralluelo scored deep in further time to provide Spain a 2-1 win over Netherlands on Friday and ship the sixth-ranked nation into the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup for the primary time.
The teenager struck within the 111th minute of a good knockout match between European soccer heavyweights whose males’s groups have already got storied World Cup histories.
Netherlands misplaced the ultimate to the United States in France 4 years in the past, and now each groups have exited the event.
The 19-year-old Paralluelo made her break down the left off a cross from Jenni Hermosa, beat Aniek Nouwen with a swivel, pivoted momentarily and from a tough angle launched a left-foot shot into the again of the online for the winner.
“It’s important for everyone,” stated Paralluelo, who was participant of the match. “We have succeeded. We have fought until the end. We have believed. It means for me, it was a unique moment, great euphoria to have lived through that and I’m extremely happy.”
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Paralluelo began in all of Spain’s earlier matches on the event; this was her first entry from the bench.
The coach “told me to make sure I was open for the passes, that I could be in the right spaces and to compete, compete as much as I could,” she said. “I had that opportunity and I was lucky to score, so I’m very happy.”
Paralluelo was a monitor star earlier than she turned to soccer, specializing within the 400 meters.
“It’s a great day for Spanish women’s football,” coach Jorge Vilda stated. “And in 4 days’ time, they are going to have the chance to see the Spanish group within the semifinals.”
“To date we’ve reached somewhere we’ve never reached before, and done it playing a good game as well, with a team that is convinced that we can go even further.”
Netherlands defender Stefanie van der Gragt had turned from villain to hero within the final 10 minutes of standard time. She conceded a penalty for hand ball within the 81st minute which Mariona Caldentey transformed to provide Spain a 1-0 lead. Then, proper firstly of stoppage time, she timed a run brilliantly from Victoria Pelova’s by ball and added a sophisticated end to degree the scores.
One on one with Spain keeper Cata Coll, she fired her shot exactly into the left facet of the online for the 147th aim of this event, a document for the Women’s World Cup.
This was all the time going to be van der Gragt’s final international event earlier than retirement.
At first it appeared probably her profession would finish on a merciless word, when a cross hit her outstretched proper arm as she patrolled the sting of the world and Spain was awarded a penalty after a VAR overview.
Caldentey positioned the ball on the spot, took a number of steps again in a hushed stadium, paused, shuffled then despatched keeper Daphne Van Domselaar the flawed together with her low shot into the left nook.
Then van der Gragt equalized to ship the match into further time.
It was Lineth Beerensteyn who went closest within the second interval of additional time. Apparently tireless, she broke away however despatched her shot throughout aim and later fired over the bar from shut vary.
“As you can see we are all celebrating,” Vilda stated. “We proceed to make historical past. It was a recreation tougher than it might have been.”
Dutch coach Andries Jonker stated his group had proved within the event that it deserved to be among the many high groups on the planet.
“We did our best. We tried to camouflage our weaknesses and show out strengths, but there’s only one solution: you have to play forward, you have to get the ball, stay on the ball, make the game,” he said. What we showed during this tournament, sometimes it was fantastic, sometimes it was less than that.”
Just over 32,000 watched the match, together with New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipikins and FIFA president Gianni Infantino on a sunny however chilly afternoon in New Zealand’s capital. Fresh snow fell in a single day on the peaks of the Orongorongo ranges which stood out towards the blue sky throughout the harbor from Sky Stadium. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake rattled Wellington an hour earlier than kickoff.
Spain had a lot the higher of a scoreless first half and appeared to have the perfect probability of taking a lead within the thirty seventh minute when Esther Gonzalez drove dwelling Alba Redondo’s cross from shut vary. But a VAR overview confirmed Gonzalez had simply crept offside.
Redondo and Gonzalez have been fixed threats however the of completion simply eluded Spain. The Spanish additionally knitted tightly and accomplished 259 passes to the Netherlands’ 182. Aitana Bonmati all the time had a inventive hand to play for Spain.
Netherlands pressed and despatched lengthy balls ahead in quest of Beerensteyn. They lastly linked within the twenty eighth and Beerensteyn dragged the ball again for Esmee Brugts, who crossed and got here inside a fraction of discovering Damaris Egurolla in entrance of aim.
Gonzalez once more went shut to begin the second half, placing a shot from 20 yards simply large of the submit.
Netherlands was thwarted by the VAR within the 62nd minute when Irene Paredes obtained a yellow card after a tussle with Beerensteyn within the space. But the video overview canceled the penalty together with the yellow card.
“Well, look, I think the VAR didn’t do their work properly, but they deserved to win,” Jonker said. “It’s just that this decision was wrong. It was wrong.”
“The main thing is, this is the Netherlands, we can play football, and we can win against Spain.”
Paredes together with Alexia Putellas, who began on the bench and went on late within the first interval of additional time, has performed in all 12 of Spain’s World Cup matches since 2015.
The Dutch squad has been the most important vacationers at this World Cup. Based at Tauranga in New Zealand’s North Island, they performed in Wellington, then in Dunedin on the South Island, traveled to Australia for the spherical of 16 and again to Wellington for Friday’s quarterfinal.
Now they’ve another journey — dwelling.
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