August 11, (THEWILL) – Salma Paralluelo was the hero for Spain on Friday, scoring an extra-time winner to lift her team to a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the Women’s World Cup quarter-finals.
The 19-year-old Barcelona winger broke a 1-1 deadlock in the 111th minute when she latched onto a through ball, cut past a defender, and fired a shot that clanged off the post into the net. The victory sends sixth-ranked Spain into the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in the nation’s history. La Roja will face either Japan or Sweden next Tuesday, in Auckland, for a place in the final.
Spain had not gotten past the round of 16 in their previous two World Cup appearances. In a tight, tense match, all the goals came late. Mariona Caldentey opened the scoring for Spain with a penalty kick in the 81st minute after Dutch defender, Stefanie Van der Gragt, handled the ball in the box. Van der Gragt redeemed herself by equalising in stoppage time to force extra time in front of over 32,000 fans at Wellington Regional Stadium.
The matchup was a repeat of the Euro 2022 final, which the Netherlands won after extra time. This time, Spain emerged victorious to reach the semis while the Dutch, runners-up in 2019, became the latest favourites eliminated from an upset-filled tournament. The US, Germany, Canada and Brazil are already out.
Despite some excellent chances for Netherlands striker, Lineth Beerensteyn, Spain’s historic achievement comes after off-field turmoil. Fifteen players declared themselves unavailable in September over issues with coach Jorge Vilda, but Spain backed the coach and six mutineers returned for the World Cup.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
