Women’s World Cup Daily: Olga Carmona sends Spain through to first-ever final

Spain is through to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final for the first time ever after a 2-1 victory in a back-and-forth match with Sweden at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, on Tuesday.

Spain will play whichever team wins between Australia and England on Wednesday (coverage begins at 5 a.m. ET with kickoff at 6 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).

Here’s a recap of everything that happened in the first match of the semifinals and a look-ahead to the highly anticipated second match:

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

— Spain isn’t just advancing to its first-ever Women’s World Cup final; it’s advancing to its first-ever final at a major tournament. Prior to this year’s tournament, it had never won a knockout stage match at a major tournament.

Spain vs. Sweden Highlights | 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup | Semifinals

— Spain 19-year-old star forward Salma Paralluelo is the second teenager in Women’s World Cup history to score in a semifinal. The first was Canada’s Kara Lang in 2003 at age 16.

— Sweden is now 1-0-4 (W-D-L) all-time in semifinal games in the Women’s World Cup.

— With the amount of talent and resources England has at its disposal, it should be the favorite going into Wednesday’s semifinal matchup — and according to the oddsmakers, it is. But the one advantage that Australia will have that England won’t is the home crowd at Stadium Australia in Sydney. “And that itself is going to be massive,” Australia coach Tony Gustavsson said Tuesday.

— Just how much support will Australia have Wednesday? The Boomers, Australia’s men’s basketball team, rescheduled their FIBA World Cup warm-up game so they’re all available to watch it. “Just like the rest of the country, our Boomers team have been locked in for each game, watching it as a team,” Boomers captain and Atlanta Hawks guard Patty Mills said Tuesday.

— Mary Fowler wasn’t supposed to be Australia’s star No. 9 at the Women’s World Cup, but when Sam Kerr was sidelined during the group stage, the 20-year-old rose to the occasion. Now, she’s not just Australia’s future; she’s also a crucial part of its championship aspirations. “She’s like one of the most amazing players in our team,” Kerr said of Fowler. “She’s 20 years old and has a head on her like she’s 30 and been around the game for 100 years.”

— From cricket to rugby, England and Australia have had their fair share of memorable matchups over the years, but Wednesday’s match on the Women’s World Cup stage will be unlike anything the historic rivalry has seen before. “There’s probably a lot of English people that would love to see us knocked out by England, but I think there’s more Australians that would love to see England knocked out by us,” Australia goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold said.

RECAPPING THE DAY

Assist of the Day: Hurtig’s header

Lina Hurtig could have taken her chances and headed Fridolina Rolfö’s cross toward goal, but instead, she did the right thing and turned the tough scoring angle into the perfect scoring opportunity for Rebecka Blomqvist. It wasn’t enough in the end, but it kept Sweden in it.

Sweden’s Rebecka Blomqvist evens it in the 88th minute

Save of the Day: Coll keeps Spain calm

Catalina Coll didn’t get the clean sheet that every keeper wants, but the 22-year-old did have an overall solid night, saving two shots inside the box, most notably this one from Fridolina Rolfö.

Goal of the Day: Oh my, Olga!

Sweden goalkeeper Zećira Mušović had an outstanding tournament and is likely still a contender for the Golden Glove. However, not even she could stop Olga Carmona’s shot from going in.

Even after Mušović got her fingertips on the ball, it hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced into the net. Carmona could not have struck it any better.

Spain scored two goals from two attempts on target. Sweden had only conceded two goals in the entire tournament prior to Tuesday.

Spain’s Olga Carmona scores the game-winner

Must-See Moment: History in the making

Spain is one win away from winning its first Women’s World Cup, and the players clearly could not be more excited about the opportunity.

LOOKING AHEAD

Fox Sports Research Numbers To Know

1 — Number of defeats for England during Sarina Wiegman’s 37-game tenure as the Lionesses’ head coach. The lone loss came April 11, 2023, at home against Australia (2-0.) Sam Kerr and Charlotte Grant scored for the Matildas. The defeat snapped England’s 30-game undefeated streak that stretched back to April 2021.

20 — Number of penalty kicks taken in Australia’s shootout win over France in the quarterfinals — the most in any World Cup game, men’s or women’s. Australia advanced to the semifinal 7-6 on penalties, with Cortnee Vine scoring the winning kick.

4.904 million — The viewership in Australia for the Matildas quarterfinal against France. Australia’s population is 25.7 million — and according to figures from OzTam ratings agency, it was Australia’s second-largest TV audience in two decades (only Leyton Hewitt’s loss in the 2005 Australian Open final has rated higher).

Australia vs. England (coverage begins at 5 a.m. ET, with kickoff at 6 a.m. ET on FOX)

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