The referee signaled the end of the match and from the Spanish bench they did jump but there was no succession of crazy runs or crying, but rather the players entered the grass at a pace to, then, merge into hugs with the rest. Cata Coll lifted Vicky López off the ground, Olga Carmona eagerly raised her arms and, above all, captain Irene Paredes led the celebration, knowing that Paris could be the finishing touch to her career. Shortly after, they all gathered on the mat and formed a circle, holding each other’s shoulders to jump and sing, to celebrate that Spain is now an Olympian. A feat. One more of this team that was crowned world champion in the summer and will now play in the Games for the first time. A joy, in any case, that did not seem superlative, perhaps because this team has already become accustomed to winning. Against the Netherlands, they also did it in a big way, with a win and a superlative football match. “We managed to play a good game against an opponent with great ability with the ball and very dangerous with Beerensteyn’s transitions. And our best duels in the qualifying phase were against Sweden [entonces la número uno en el ranking hasta que La Roja dijo lo contrario]. Yes, we know that this team grows against the greats,” coach Montse Tomé proudly resolved, still suffering from severe hoarseness.
Tomé predicted before the duel that the key would be to knead the ball, to find the slots to reach the goal and, above all, to be able to define the chances, a defect that Spain suffered in the World Cup quarterfinal duel. But, at the beginning, Salma got tangled in the shot and feared that she would experience a carbon copy of what happened in New Zealand, a match resolved in extra time. Although Hermoso and Aitana clarified that nanay, the goals were falling. “We had a very specific match plan and the players came in very strong and focused from the beginning. The plan has been executed very well and it is a shame not to be able to score more goals,” agreed Tomé, who wanted to make the success something collective. “In the second half we didn’t start well at all, but the changes gave us that punch to score the last goal. “We have a very great capacity to change the dynamics of the game.” Among those players was Vicky López, the young Barcelona player who debuted with the Spanish team and who, as a gift and as tradition marks, took a blanket from the other players. “I’m very embarrassing, to be honest,” she managed to say; “But I am very happy and happy for how they have welcomed me in the locker room and for the opportunity that the coach has given me. She told me to enjoy it, that it was a unique experience, and I have. Very much”. Tomé picked up the baton: “Vicky reinforces the youth team we have in Spain, the youth teams in the national team and the natural talent that we can enjoy. She has been with us since she was 16 and her training and ability, in addition to what she is doing at Barça, means that we have taken the step of bringing her. She has done great training and has earned her way onto the field.” And, by the way, think about the Games. “All of us soccer players dream of these great moments and of going to Paris,” Vicky said with a smile from ear to ear.
“On December 22, the coaching staff met to do the first analysis of the game and I said that we would remember this day. We are happy with the work done and we deserved to go to the Games for the previous ones who have fought to want to be there and couldn’t, and for those who lived through the moment of mud. Now they can enjoy it,” Tomé resolved with satisfaction. This is what Jennifer Hermoso explained: “You saw the Games on TV… Any athlete wants to experience the Games and this is something historic, we have achieved it and being able to experience this is something else.” check in the things to do.” Cata Coll joined in: “Going to the Games is something to be happy and proud of. We have a busy summer ahead of us and I have no doubt that we will go for the medal.” And the coach took up the baton again: “It was a match in which the goal of the Games was, that we deserved it. They and him staffbecause we are entering a difficult time. Nobody chose him. It came to us like that and we took a step forward. The first day, first press conference, she was proud of the staff and today I am even more so. We are a human group, humble, ambitious, very ambitious and we are looking forward to the final.”
This is how Cata Coll expressed it: “Going to the Games is a dream but we want to win the final and the Nations League title. “We will go to death against France.” Hermoso intervened: “Let us not forget that we have won a semifinal and that now we can get another very nice trophy.” Vicky finished: “France is very physical and we will have to go for it.” They know, in any case, that the fans respond, since the record number of spectators was achieved against Holland: 21,856 compared to the 15,896 in Malaga last December. “I am very happy with the fans. We are taking steps. We are evolving and I hope you have been able to enjoy it,” Tomé resolved.