(Sydney) The rallying cry “he’s coming home” is just one win away from becoming reality, as is the end of England’s 57-year drought on the international soccer scene.
On Sunday, a World Cup trophy may return to soccer’s birthplace for the first time since 1966. But if that happens, the return trip to England will be with the women’s national team, not the men’s .
The Lionesses roared to the Women’s World Cup final for the first time. They will face Spain in the first all-European final since 2003, when Germany defeated Sweden.
Both teams had spectacular runs. England have been at the top of the world hierarchy since their European Championship triumph last summer, while Spain find themselves in the final less than a year after 15 players quit the squad in protest.
England’s return to the limelight is linked to the arrival of coach Sarina Wiegman, who was hired late in 2021 and became the team’s first non-British manager. Wiegman sees her troupe compete in a second consecutive final and she is the only coach to have guided two different teams to the Worlds final.
Wiegman was on the sidelines when the Netherlands lost 2-0 to the United States in the 2019 final in France.
England defeated Australia 3-1 in the semi-finals despite being without top scorer Lauren James for the second game in a row. James was suspended for two games for trampling on a Nigerian rival in the final game of the preliminary stage.
James has scored three goals and three assists since the start of the World Cup and the 21-year-old has apologized to her teammates.
For their part, Spain overcame several challenges to get here today. The team saw 15 players leave the team, citing concerns over their mental health. They wanted to see the federation better supervise them.
Three of those players – midfielder Aitana Bonmati, striker Mariona Caldentey and full-back Ona Batlle – reconciled with the federation and took part in the tournament. Jorge Vilda thanked the federation for their support and the players focused on the moment.
La Roja qualified for the final with a 2-1 win over Sweden on Tuesday. Salma Paralluelo broke a 0-0 deadlock by scoring in the 81st minute of play. After the Swedish reply, Olga Carmona made the decision in the final minutes of regular play.
Paralluelo also scored the winning goal in overtime against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
“I play against her every day in practice. I knew what she was capable of long before this tournament,” said England’s Lucy Bronze, who is Paralluelo’s teammate at FC Barcelona.
Spain also wants to leave Oceania with a new trophy in its collection. The men’s team won the World Cup in 2010. The women’s team has never won a major tournament.