SYDNEY: Spain overcame a missed penalty to lift the women's World Cup trophy for the first time with a 1-0 triumph over England on Sunday in the Sydney final.
Captain Olga Carmona fired the winner in the 29th minute as La Roja emulated the men's team which had won the World Cup in 2010, even though Jenni Hermoso failed to convert a 70th-minute penalty which was saved by Mary Earps.
Playing only in their third World Cup, with a last-16 berth in 2019 their previous best result, Spain were the better and more dangerous team. The title run came despite plenty of unrest in the build-up after 15 players in September had threatened to quit if coach Jorge Vilda stayed on. Vilda was backed by the Spanish federation and only three of the 15 were in the World Cup squad.
Euro winners England fell short of adding the world title which also means the men's success back in 1966 remains their only World Cup title. Lionesses coach Sarina Wiegman lost a second World Cup final in a row after being beaten with her native Netherlands by the US in 2019. She has however won the Euros with the Dutch in 2017 and England in 2022.
