Spain easily beat Switzerland (5-1), Saturday, August 5 in Auckland, thanks to a double of the midfielder Aitana Bonmati and qualifies for the quarterfinals of the World Cup-2023, reassuring itself after the stinging defeat against Japan.
Next Friday in the quarters (3:00), Spain, who had never gone beyond the knockout stage of a World Cup, will meet the winner of the eighth final between the Netherlands and South Africa, who face each other on Sunday in Sydney.
After the defeat against Japan (4-0) on the last day of Group C, it was the turn of the "Roja" to inflict a festival of goals on the Swiss, who had not conceded any until then.
Reassuring for the Spaniards, especially since the Ballon d'Or Alexia Putellas remained on the bench for a good part of the match. The FC Barcelona player, who entered in the 77th minute, still does not seem to have recovered 100% from her serious knee injury.
Substitute for the first match against Costa Rica, she started for the second against Zambia where she played half time and against Japan.
The festival began from the beginning of the match with the opening score of midfielder Aitana Bonmati, very legs on Saturday, with a precise strike from the left (1-0, 5th). The midfielder even scored a double, her third goal of the World Cup, after a beautiful sequence and eliminating three players (3-1, 36th).
Before that, Switzerland had equalized (1-1, 11th) because of a gag goal and against his side of central defender Laida Codina, who made up for it at the end of the first half (4-1, 45th). But Spain had quickly regained the advantage thanks to a header at the second post of Alba Redondo (2-1, 17th).
In the second half, less prolific, Jennifer Hermoso finished the job with a beautiful curled strike (70th).
Eliminated in the first round in Canada in 2015, the Spaniards lost in the knockout rounds in France four years later to the future world champions USA. This year in Oceania, they are already doing better with this historic qualification in the quarterfinals.
With AFP
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