After the quarterfinal round, Spain had become the favorites to win this World Cup. I wondered why, since their opponents, Sweden, had seemed to me more impressive to this point.
However, I can admit to being wrong. Spain ultimately won this big showdown in the semifinal, 2-1.
The game was mostly dictated by tough defense, as neither of the two combined sides could score until quite late in the game. When someone finally did break through, it was Spain's Salma Celeste Paralluelo Ayingono in the 81st minute. Spain was so close to qualifying for the World Cup Final, they could feel it. All they had to do was hold off Sweden for the remaining nine minutes, plus extra time, and they would be into the final match.
Yet, Rebecka Blomqvist Swedish soccer player managed, rather dramatically, to tie the game, scoring for Sweden in the 88th minute. At that point, the game sure seemed destined to go into extra time, with the two teams nodded up at 1-1, and very little time remaining. It felt like a dagger in the heart kind of a goal, possibly handing Spain a heartbreak from which they might not recover.
Instead, Spain's Olga Carmona scored an even bigger goal, one that effectively killed the short-lived enthusiasm and energy that Sweden got from their late goal. Carmona scored her goal in the 89th minute, just after Sweden had stopped celebrating their earlier goal. Conceding that goal effectively broke all momentum that Sweden had, and ended any real chance that they could win this game.
As a result, they have now qualified for their first ever appearance in the final. There, they will meet the winner of the other semifinal to be played tomorrow, between England and hosts Australia.
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