Women’s World Cup holders Spain eye Nations League title

Spain’s Ona Batlle scores their third goal during the UEFA Women’s Nations League semifinal against the Netherlands at Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville, Spain, on Friday. (Reuters)
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Updated 27 February 2024
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Women’s World Cup holders Spain eye Nations League title

  • Under new coach Montse Tome, Spain comfortably topped their Nations League group ahead of Italy, Sweden and Switzerland, and then defeated the Netherlands 3-0 in Seville in last Friday’s semifinal

SEVILLE, Spain: Reigning world champions Spain can claim another title on Wednesday when they face France in the final of the inaugural UEFA Women’s Nations League, while the Netherlands and Germany meet to decide who will join them in qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

Spain’s World Cup triumph in Sydney last August ended up being somewhat overshadowed by Spanish football federation boss Luis Rubiales’s forced kiss on midfielder Jenni Hermoso after the final against England.

Rubiales recently had a three-year ban from football upheld by FIFA and is also set to go in trial over the kiss, while the Spain team — led by Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati — have tried to keep the focus on football.

Under new coach Montse Tome, Spain comfortably topped their Nations League group ahead of Italy, Sweden and Switzerland, and then defeated the Netherlands 3-0 in Seville in last Friday’s semifinal.

Winning through to the final also allowed them to take one of two qualifying spots open to European nations for the women’s football tournament at the Olympics. It is the first time they have qualified for the Games.

However, star Barcelona midfielder Bonmati believes Spain’s World Cup success has not had the hoped-for impact on the women’s game in the country.

“Unfortunately I can’t say a lot of things have changed,” Bonmati said in an interview with French sports daily L’Equipe.

“We have the example of the English, when they won the Euro (in 2022). We saw a real change following their success at a nationwide level.

“It had repercussions, and there was more investment in the domestic league. The stadiums are full when England play. It makes me jealous because I can’t say the same thing has happened here.

“There are still so many things to do here and I have the impression that the World Cup has not served any purpose.”

She complained that the match against the Netherlands was moved at short notice from Cadiz to Seville, where the final will also be played.

“We were supposed to play in Cadiz and in the end we changed the venue to La Cartuja. That wouldn’t happen with the boys.”

France had already qualified for the Olympics automatically as the host country and Herve Renard’s team are now hoping to win a first international title in the Nations League to set them up for the Games.

The Netherlands entertain Germany in Heerenveen in the third-place play-off with the winner of that game also progressing to Paris 2024.

Germany lost 2-1 to France in Lyon in their semifinal last Friday and so must now overcome the Dutch if they are to go to the Olympics, in which they won the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

After flopping at last year’s World Cup, in which they exited in the group stage, their form has improved under veteran interim coach Horst Hrubesch, who took Germany’s men to the final of the 2016 Olympics.

However, the Dutch — whose coach Andries Jonker used to manage Wolfsburg in the men’s German Bundesliga — are hoping to make the most of home advantage at the Abe Lenstra Stadion.

“We still have a chance,” of reaching the Olympics, said captain Sherida Spitse after the semifinal.

“We are very happy with that. We are playing at home with the crowd behind us.”


Manchester City narrow gap in table with dominant win over Sunderland

Updated 35 min 44 sec ago
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Manchester City narrow gap in table with dominant win over Sunderland

  • Phil Foden also scored his fifth goal in three games
  • Foden netted his own in the 65th minute with a goal that was all about Rayan Cherki’s jaw-dropping Rabona assist

MANCHESTER: Manchester City’s center backs Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol struck less than four minutes apart in the first half in a 3-0 thrashing of Sunderland that tightened the Premier League title race and kept the pressure firmly on leaders Arsenal.
Phil Foden also scored — his fifth goal in three games — as second-placed City seized the opportunity of Arsenal’s 2-1 loss at Aston Villa earlier in the day to climb within two points of the leaders with 31 points after 15 games. Sunderland were provisionally seventh on 23 points.
While Pep Guardiola’s men dominated possession, neither side really threatened in the first half before Dias ended the deadlock in the 31st minute with a rocket from 30 yards out that took a slight deflection off Dan Ballard. Less than four minutes later, Foden whipped in a cross that Gvardiol leapt to head home.
Foden netted his own in the 65th minute with a goal that was all about Rayan Cherki’s jaw-dropping Rabona assist, a chip that Foden needed only to head home and then had the England midfielder shaking his head in disbelief at Cherki’s skill.
“I worked for that, I know my quality, my quality is my technique, when I play with Phil, Erling (Haaland), Omar (Marmoush), it’s very important to give the good balls for them,” Cherki told the BBC.
“Phil is a great player, he works for the team, runs for the team.”
Sunderland ended the game with 10 men after Luke O’Nien was shown a red card for a bad foul deep in added time.
City’s victory could have been even more lopsided. Haaland, who on Tuesday became the fastest player in history to score 100 Premier League goals, had a second-half shot cleared off the line after Cherki beat two men in the buildup.
Cherki had a great late-game chance when he beat Sunderland’s back line before cutting back and firing a low left-footed effort that Roefs dove right to push out of danger.
“Today it was a great game,” Cherki told Sky Sports. “We don’t want to concede goals and today we didn’t. Perfect day.
“We take the game one after one. We want to work for wins and games.”
There had been pre-game cheers at Etihad Stadium when Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendia scored the 95th-minute winner that sank Arsenal.
But a City victory felt far from certain after they had to fight off a ferocious comeback in a 5-4 win at Fulham on Tuesday. Sunderland have been excellent in their return to the top flight, taking points off Arsenal, Chelsea and, most recently, champions Liverpool in a 1-1 draw at Anfield on Wednesday.
“One of the best performances of the season against a team that’s done so much so far with top six,” Guardiola said. “The way you play, the way you perform is what tells you what’s going to happen in the future.
“We didn’t concede much ... and we created three chances.”