Spain won the Women’s World Cup with a 1-0 victory over England in the final on Sunday.
The World Cup crowned a first-time winner, as both Spain and England played in their first final. The United States’ bid for a three-peat ended in a penalty shootout loss to Sweden in the round of 16. Norway, the 1995 champion, lost in the round of 16, 2011 champion Japan was knocked out by Sweden in the quarterfinals, and two-time champion Germany didn’t reach the knockout rounds.
Co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the quadrennial tournament for international soccer’s most coveted trophy kicked off July 20 and has featured an expanded field of 32 teams, up from 24. There were 64 matches during the tournament.
WOMEN’S WORLD CUP RESULTS
Spain won the Women’s World Cup for the first time with Olga Carmona’s first-half strike giving La Roja a 1-0 victory over England in the final at Stadium Australia. The win for Spain avenged a quarterfinal loss to eventual champion England in the European championship last year.
On Saturday, Sweden beat host Australia 2-0 in the bronze medal match.
WOMEN’S WORLD CUP SCHEDULE
There are no more games.
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There were some doubts about England’s squad leading into the Women’s World Cup because a trio of dominant players — Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby — weren’t with the team because of injuries. Then there were questions about how they would handle the absence of forward Lauren James, who was suspended for both England’s quarterfinal and semifinal matches.
The Spanish squad is built on a core of Barcelona players who have triumphed with their club. Now they achieved the ultimate prize in the Women’s World Cup. Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas is one of nine Barcelona players in Spain’s squad. England also has two Barcelona players on its roster.
It’s easy to understand why Gail Newsham couldn’t stop grinning as she prepared for England’s soccer team to play in the Women’s World Cup final. Newsham, 70, grew up at a time when women in England were banned from the sport.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that the Women’s World Cup has “broken even” after generating more than $570 million in revenue but again dismissed suggestions for equal prize money with the men’s World Cup.
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AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup
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