Spain have claimed their first ever FIFA Women's World Cup triumph, defeating England 1-0 in a tense final in Sydney.
It was a brilliant game, one that featured no shortage of scoring opportunities for both sides. English goalkeeper Mary Earps made a number of top class stops throughout, including saving a penalty in the second half.
However, it was Olga Carmona's first half strike that proved to be the difference between the sides.
This was a sensational strike from Olga Carmona to give Spain the lead in the World Cup final 🔥pic.twitter.com/V7QmKSB06Y
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) August 20, 2023
That was ultimately enough to secure the trophy for Spain.
Spain players blank manager during World Cup celebrations
While the World Cup has ended in triumph for Spain, it's fair to say that this was a difficult tournament from them away from the pitch.
There continues to be plenty of controversy surrounding the position of manager Jorge Vilda, with 15 players boycotting the squad in 2022 due to the working conditions he had imposed on the team during his time in charge.
After the Spanish FA opted to keep him in the position against the wishes of the players in question, only three of the 15 would be part of the squad for this tournament.
Even for those who are now part of the team, there remains plenty of doubts when it comes to their backing of the manager.
That seemed to play out on the pitch after today's final. As the Spanish players celebrated the victory over England, they seemed to intentionally ignore Vilda, leading to this hilarious clip.
this has ended me pic.twitter.com/Ddksw73IzF
— Jonathan Liew (@jonathanliew) August 20, 2023
Speaking on ITV after the game, former England star Karen Carney suggested that it was likely that we would hear more about what went on in the Spain camp in the coming days and weeks after the tournament came to an end.
It will be interesting to see what is said afterwards. Players want to win it for themselves. We don't know what is going on behind the scenes, I'm sure more will come out.
Right now they're winners and that masks a lot of things.
It is clear that Vilda remains a very unpopular figure in Spanish football, something that is unlikely to change despite leading the nation to a World Cup triumph.
In fact, his name was widely booed in the ground both before and after the game.
Spanish coach Jorge Vilda's name is announced in the stadium, to widespread boos. The name of every player was cheered.
— Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) August 20, 2023
Jorge Vilda is booed by the crowd once more as he gets his medal.
But these #ESP players are exceptional, and deserve to celebrate. #ESP #FIFAWWC #BeyondGreatness pic.twitter.com/zu4eQMdHZv— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) August 20, 2023
Spain will enjoy this victory in the coming days, but those celebrations will quickly be followed some tough questions about the way in which their players have been treated over the last few years.
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