Richard Callis / SPP
Spain, in just its third senior World Cup, advanced to the final for the first time on Tuesday with a 2-1 victory over Sweden in the first semifinal of the 2023 World Cup.
The Big Story: Spain’s first final is the culmination of a decade of player development that has yielded some of the best individual talents in the world. La Roja made their senior World Cup debut in 2015, finishing last in their group with one point. They made the Round of 16 in 2019, narrowly losing to the United States. On Tuesday, led gain by teenage substitute Salma Paralluelo late in the match, Spain and Sweden traded goals in an explosive final 10 minutes of an otherwise cagey game.
Paralluelo came on in the 57th minute and scored in the 81st — the 19-year-old’s second goal off the bench in as many games — after Jenni Hermoso set up the play from a deeper role. Sweden equalized seven minutes later through Rebecka Blomqvist, but Olga Carmona struck the winner in the 90th minute, capping off a wild finale to the match.
The…
