Jennifer Hermoso gave an emotional interview after her Spain team-mates made history, declaring: “We are f****** world champions!” as team-mate Aitana Bonmani described feeling “on the air”.
Spain beat England 1-0 in Sydney to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup final.
Captain Olga Carmona scored what would prove the winner in the 29th minute and though England goalkeeper Mary Earps saved a second-half penalty from Hermoso, Sarina Wiegman’s European champions failed to score an equaliser.
Spain triumphed despite a turbulent build-up to the tournament, with several players staging a revolt against the country’s football federation and expressing their lack of confidence in coach Jorge Vilda.
Hermoso, fighting back tears as she spoke to RTVE, said: “It’s the best feeling of my life.
“We dedicate it to all our families and the people in Spain, because we have played football the way we wanted to.
“We have won a World Cup — we are f****** world champions!”
“We have played the football as we wanted but I still think we are not aware of what we have achieved.”
😭 Pero no nos hagas llorar, Jenni.
La emoción de Jenni Hermoso tras ganar el Mundial pone los pelos de punta. #Legendarias pic.twitter.com/6FI9JAfutm
— Teledeporte (@teledeporte) August 20, 2023
Midfielder Aitana Bonmati, who was named the tournament’s best player, believes victory was fitting reward for a team that overcame a number of significant hurdles to get this far.
The unrest meant Spain were missing Sandra Panos, Mapi Leon, Patri Guijarro and Claudia Pina.
“I’m on the air right now. I don’t have any words for this moment. It’s unbelievable. I’m so proud right now,” Bonmati told the BBC.
“We did a great tournament; we suffered but we also enjoyed it and we deserved it. Everyone knew their goal at the beginning of the tournament. Everyone is competitive, everyone has a strong mentality to win. We’ve been working a lot of years for this moment.”
Vilda said: “What we did is difficult to achieve. Very proud of this team, we have shown how we know how to play, that we know how to suffer, we have believed and we are world champions.
“Now let’s celebrate. I imagine how the excitement in Spain will be. We are going to celebrate here and we don’t know when it will end.”
Analysis: Carmona comes up trumps again
The Athletic’s Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero
Olga Carmona was the match-winner in Sydney (Getty Images)
Carmona has only scored three goals for Spain — but two of those have come on the biggest stage.
Carmona’s 89th-minute effort against Sweden sent her side through to their first Women’s World Cup final, but this one was even better. It started with a fine cross-field pass from Teresa Abelleira to Mariona Caldentey, before the Barcelona forward laid off expertly for Carmona. Spain’s left-back and captain drilled home a perfect finish that left Earps with no chance.
The Real Madrid defender was a constant threat down the left-hand side and her link-up play with Caldentey proved difficult for England to handle. Her goal also meant she became the second-youngest player to score in the semi-final and final of a single Women’s World Cup, behind Alex Morgan of the U.S.
At 23, she has ensured her name will go down in Spanish football history.
GO DEEPER
England lose World Cup final to Spain 1-0: Bronze’s dark arts and what next?
(Photo: Getty Images)
