The Spanish team defeated the United States team with solvency and skill at the Audi Field stadium in Washington D.C. by two goals to zero, the work of Patri Guijarro and Eva Navarro, in a physical and tight match between the two best teams in the world.
In the first of the two friendly matches that Sonia Bermúdez's players will play in the United States in preparation for next year's World Cup to be held in Brazil, Spain managed to win thanks to an early goal from Guijarro. When three minutes of the game had not yet passed and many fans were still settling in, the Mallorcan midfielder from FC Barcelona launched a left-footed shot from the edge of the area that slipped into Claudia Dickey's goal. The goal caught the Americans off guard, and they were unable to overcome the initial blow.
Spain settled the match just 10 minutes later. In a run by Salma Paralluelos for speed, the new Olympique de Lyon player placed the ball measured so that Eva Navarro, the Real Madrid player, finished first, without letting it fall. Scoreboard goal and game on track despite the Americans' insistence on standing up to the current world champion until the end.
The Spanish had a tougher and more physical match in the second half, with Emma Hayes' team trying to get into the match. The four-time world champions dominated the second 45 minutes, with clearer chances and a sharper, deeper game. The statistics don't lie: 10 shots on goal for the locals compared to three for the Spanish. Only the great performance of Adriana Nanclares prevented a different result. The Spanish coach highlighted her role. “She has been extraordinary,” he said at the press conference after the game.
The Athletic goalkeeper was decisive in stopping a penalty against Lily Yonannes, when the American players were pressing harder. Nanclares, who looked confident throughout the 90 minutes, also thwarted several chances, such as a one-on-one from young Alyssa Thompson in the first half, which prevented Emma Hayes' girls from entering the game. "We have played the number two power against the number one power. There are moments in which they have gone well and we have to know how to suffer," Bermúdez said at a press conference.
The veteran Rose Lavelle drove the Spanish defense crazy at times, with filigrees and deep passes to Alyssa Thompson so that she could take advantage of her speed. On the other wing, the danger came from Trinity Rodman, insistent on pressure and searching for unmarking. But the American players lacked the success that the Spanish players did.
The victory of Sonia Bermúdez's players serves to stage the change of hierarchy in world football. The meeting between the two best teams in the world reflected the current status of each one. Not so long ago, the girls of La Roja celebrated qualifying for an international championship as a success; They saw the American team as unattainable, but in just a decade, Spain has become the great dominator of world football: they are the current world champions, winners of the Nations League and European runners-up. The lower categories dominate all international competitions with an iron fist.
The United States, second in the FIFA ranking, is in full reconstruction, with a young team, seeking to find the game of past eras led by Emma Hayes. Perhaps that is why the match against the United States was special for the Spanish players. Seven years ago, in the 2019 World Cup held in France, La Roja lost in the semifinals against an American team full of stars such as Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan. But it was then, as Irene Paredes said this week, when they realized that they could aspire to the highest. "At that time they were still on top, but I remember it as if they could be hurt. They were details. I have the memory of saying: 'Well, we can start fighting something'. Since then, seven years have passed, long enough. We have grown as a team, as a group, even as a federation," explained the Barça defense, who was a substitute.
The game played this Saturday at Audi Field in Washington had 19,220 spectators. On the field of play, two different ways of understanding football have been seen. The team coached by the award-winning Enma Hayes, a team more of attacks, isolated plays and taking advantage of transitions. The Spanish team, on the contrary, likes to have more control, to dominate based on possession. Organize through passing and suffocate your opponent with pressure. That understanding of football has helped Spain maintain the advantage. A combination play starring Alexia Putellas, Fiamma Benítez and Patri Guijarro at the end of the first half illustrated this way of understanding this sport, with measured passes and patience to dislodge the rivals.
The display of the Atlético de Madrid midfielder was sensational. He didn't look out of place in a team full of stars like Putellas or Guijarro, who have been playing together for some time. Athenea del Castillo was sent off a few minutes before the end of the match after a struggle with an American player.
It is not easy for Spanish athletes to leave their clubs with the League season already started, cross the pond and play two friendly matches for the World Cup in Brazil next summer. Especially when they have already done their homework, with a ticket to the final selection phase after completing an almost immaculate qualifying phase. But the Spanish have a voracious hunger. Insatiable. And the team showed up in Washington with a list of injuries that would make for a top-notch lineup. The selected teams have shown that Sonia Bermúdez was not exaggerating this week when she explained the success of the World Cup champion team held in Australia-New Zealand in 2023: "They have a very strong mentality. They don't even want to lose at ping-pong." The strength of the rivals, the number two in the world, according to the FIFA ranking, helps maintain the motivation of the players in a state of grace.
The American players will have the opportunity to make amends in three days. Next Tuesday they will play in Philadelphia the second preparation match for the World Cup that Spain is defending.
