"You have made an entire country dream" - Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos reacts as Spain defeat England to win Women's World Cup
Spain legend Sergio Ramos congratulated his female compatriots for winning the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Down Under on Sunday (August 20). La Roja beat reigning European champions England in a rivetting title clash in Sydney, Australia.
In a thrilling start to the game, both sides started brightly, carving out a plethora of gilt-edged scoring opportunities. Lauren Hemp hit the woodwork for England in the 15th minute, while Salma Paralluelo was denied by Lionesses custodian Mary Earps two minutes later.
La Roja's sustained pressure and superior quality told when Olga Carmona converted a Mariona Caldentey pass in the 29th minute to put her team into the lead. England sought a response but found no way past a resolute Spanish rearguard.
Earps kept her team in the contest with a string of high-quality saves, including a rather tame 69th-minute penalty from Jenni Hermosa. Eventually, 13 minutes of added time came and went as La Roja were crowned the world champions in only their third appearance in the competition.
Sergio Ramos, who has won record 180 international caps for Spain and won two European Championships (2008, 2012) and the FIFA World Cup (2010), wrote (via his Instagram story):
"Congratulations CHAMPIONS!! You got it! Thank you for all your work, your effort, your desire. For the strength and passion that you have put into each game. You have made an entire country dream. You have made HISTORY! FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP 2023 WORLD CHAMPIONS WORLD CHAMPIONS @sefutbolfem #VamosEspana"
Ramos is currently a free agent after seeing out a two-season stint at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
"I'm just deflated" - England defender Lucy Bronze after losing World Cup final to Spain
In a title match between two first-time finalists, it was Spain who thwarted England's bid to add the World Cup to their European Championship title.
There were goalscoring chances aplenty for either side, but one goal proved to be enough as La Roja emulated their male counterparts' World Cup-winning feat in 2010.
Meanwhile, Lionesses players were understandably disappointed after exceeding expectations by reaching the final. Defender Lucy Bronze said (as per BBC):
"I'm just deflated. Obviously we went into the World Cup wanting to win it, and we were so close, but in the end we couldn't quite get it over the line. I am proud of what we have achieved, but, I think, everybody that knows me, knows that I only like gold medals."
Interestingly, Spain had come into the 2023 edition winning only one World Cup match before going all the way.