Football

England women vs Spain player ratings: aggressive La Roja tame the Lionesses

August 20, 2023 1:16 pm

  • A bright start from England but Spain had the best chances and half an hour into the match Olga Carmona gave La Roja the lead.
  • Spain continued to pile up the chances after that with the post saving England just before the break and a series of big saves from Earps in the second half keeping the Lionesses just about alive. The pick of the saves for Earps was the penalty she kept out.
  • Despite trying hard England looked out of ideas on how to create chances and it was a heartbreak for the Lionesses and endless joy for La Roja come the final whistle.
ENG vs SPA ratings
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The Lionesses player ratings: Earps heroics not enough

GK Mary Earps 7.4/10 – Her saves was the only reason England stayed in contention until the end.

DF Lucy Bronze 5.9/10 – It was her mistake that led to the goal that won it for Spain. She was shaky all match after that.

DF Alex Greenwood 6.3/10 – Struggled to deal with the Spanish attacks all game. Never found a way to slow down Paraullelo.

DF Millie Bright 6.7/10 – Did her job well in the first half. Got too rash after the break.

DF Jessica Carter 6.4/10 – Struggled against the speedy Spanish players.

DF Rachel Daly 6.9/10 – Delivered some good crosses. Didn’t help enough defensively though.

MF Georgia Stanway 6.8/10 – Solid but not very impactful with her passing.

MF Keira Walsh 6.1/10 – Really struggled against many of her Barcelona teammates. They seemed to know well how to keep her quiet.

MF Ella-Ann Toone 6.0/10 – The stage got the better of her. Never got going. Zero impact in attack.

FW Lauren Hemp 6.9/10 – The liveliest English forward. Had the 3 best chances too but missed them all. Hit the crossbar at 0-0.

ENG vs SPA n scaled
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FW Alessia Russo 6.0/10 – Awful showing from the striker. Kept running into traffic lost 87% of the 50-50 duels she entered. Got subbed off early.

 Substitutes

FW Lauren James 6.5/10 – Played well after coming on. Her crosses needed better precision though.

FW Chloe Kelly 6.5/10 – Provided some energy on the flank. Had a few  good runs too. Not enough though.

MF Beth England N/A

DF ?? N/A

Spain player ratings: La Roja did it!

GK Cata Coll 7.6/10 – Saved all that needed saving. Kept a clean sheet in a World Cup final!

DF Onna Battle 7.5/10 – Carried serious threat down the right flank. Defended very well too.

DF Irene Paredes 7.5/10 – Solid all match. Zero mistakes made.

DF Laia Codina 7.0/10 – Had issues dealing with Hemp. Apart from that did well.

DF Olga Carmona 8.7/10 – Her goal won it for Spain! Oh, and she kept a clean sheet too!

MF Abelleira Duenas 7.2/10 – Protected the back 4 well all match. Didn’t get involved much in the forward actions.

MF Aitana Bonmati 7.5/10 – Her passes kept opening England wide. Played very well from start to finish.

MF Jenifer Hermoso 6.5/10 – Solid overall but missed a penalty and on another day that could have proved costly.

FW Redondo Ferrera 6.1/10 – Struggled to get involved. Quiet until she got replaced.

FW Salma Paralluelo 7.3/10 – The 19 year old should have scored in her first World Cup final. She was very aggressive.

FW Mariona Caldentey 7.1/10 – Had good chances. Unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. Her counter-pressing was excellent.

Substitutes 

MF Oihane Hernadez 6.8/10 – Played well when coming on. Calm and collected under pressure.

MF Ivana 6.9/10 – Dominated the heart of the midfield once on the pitch. Exactly what La Roja needed to get over the line.

DF Alexia Putellas N/A

England women vs Spain match summary of the Big Final

It was England that made the faster starter. Lauren Hemp was the most active Lioness and she had two good early chances. Her first shot was easily saved while her second came off the crossbar.

Spain responded to that with the best chance of the early proceedings. Having 7 Barcelona players in their starting XI helped La Roja to link up much better than England and from the midway point of the first half it was Spain that were on top.

The 19-year-old sensation Parauello missed a great chance for Spain. However, only a few minutes later the hugely aggressive left-back Carmona broke the deadlock with a thunderbolt from the left flank that had Earps helpless. Then luck helped England with Parauello being denied by the post just before the interval.

Spain continued to dominate in the second half and they aggressively looked for a second goal. Immediately after play resumed Caldentey was close to scoring if not for an elastic save from Earps. The England goalie continued to be the best player for the Lionesses and 20 minutes from time it was her heroics that kept England alive. Earps saved a penalty from Hermoso, with Spain very unfortunate not to be 2-0 up by that point.

Despite all that La Roja never gave England any late chances and the first-half goal was enough to give Spain their first World Cup title and bring immense pain to the brave but toothless in this final Lionesses.

Player of the Match: Olga Carmona

Spain’s left-back Olga Carmona scored the crucial goal for La Roja and on top of that, she was excellent defensively all match. She had the most touches in the first half, the most crosses of any player in the match and was simply outstanding.

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