These were weeks in which the World Cup triumph faded into the background. Spain celebrated the victory of the World Cup heroines at the start of the Nations League all the more relieved and euphoric.
After the thrilling last-minute victory against the world ranking leaders in Sweden, Spain’s new selection coach verbally bowed to her players.
“Today was a day on which they did their job a full honor,” said Montse Tomé after the 3-2 win in Gothenburg: “It made me very happy to see the joy they had.” And even though she didn’t nominate Jennifer Hermoso for protection reasons, the 33-year-old world champion was everywhere.
According to media reports, there were posters in the stadium with expressions of sympathy for the player who was kissed on the mouth by then association head Luis Rubiales after Spain’s victory in the World Cup final in Sydney on August 20th. The aggressive behavior and its aftermath, which received a worldwide response, had almost pushed the World Cup triumph into the background for weeks; the players had initially even wanted to go on strike at the Sweden game.
Gesture of solidarity
The Spanish newspapers were all the more euphoric in their praise of the success, which had begun with a special gesture of solidarity. The Spaniards and the Swedes had gathered on the halfway line before kick-off and positioned themselves behind a poster with the inscription “#SeAcabó” (in German: “Stop now”). The poster also read in English: “Our fight is the global fight.”
The Spanish sports newspapers were not sparing with praise: “Double victory in Gothenburg,” wrote “Sport” with a view to the action and the result. “This Spain is made of gold,” wrote “As.” “The Spanish selection is happy again. They are playing football again. And how,” said “Mundo deportivo”. “In the midst of a non-sporting tsunami, the selected players got three points on their debut in the Nations League with quality and heart,” said “Marca”.
With the victory, the Spaniards also took a first step towards the Olympics in Paris next year. In a turbulent final phase, the decision was made in the sixth minute of added time when Mariona Caldentey scored from a penalty. The person responsible, Amanda Ilestedt, had previously received a red card.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
