Olga Carmona comes up clutch! Real Madrid star sends Spain into Women's World Cup final as Sweden suffer late heartbreak
Olga Carmona's late winner helped Spain reach the Women's World Cup final for the first time after a dramatic 2-1 win over Sweden.
Reach World Cup final for first time
TELL ME MORE: After a cagey opening 80 minutes, where both teams struggled to create many clear-cut chances, Spain substitute Salma Paralluelo scored for the second game running as she instinctively fired into the corner after a poor clearance from Jonna Andersson. It looked like the 19-year-old had bagged the winner again, after scoring in extra-time to send the Spaniards through against Netherlands in the quarter-final, but the Swedes hit back in the 88th minute as substitute Rebecka Blomqvist curled a neat finish home.
But Spain bagged the winner 60 seconds later as a quick corner caught Peter Gerhardsson's team napping and Real Madrid star Carmona's shot from the edge of the area crashed off the underside of the bar and past keeper Zecira Musovic. A matter of weeks after a thumping 4-0 loss to Japan, Spain are now one game away from World Cup glory.
THE MVP: Paralluelo has been a revelation when coming off the bench in the last two matches and her cutting edge was vital in securing Spain's passage to the final. She is a big-match player and is proving it on the biggest stage.
THE BIG LOSER: Sweden went to sleep just after levelling the game up late on and Spain punished them. While Carmona's shot was a good one, Musovic should have done better and that ended up being the difference.
MATCH IN THREE PHOTOS:
WHAT NEXT FOR SPAIN? La Roja will take on England or tournament hosts Australia on August 20 in the final of the World Cup. Their run to the final is all the more impressive as less than a year ago, 15 of Spain's players resigned in protest over keeping
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