Spain have booked their first-ever appearance in the Women’s World Cup semifinal, with a Salma Paralluelo strike deep in extra time guiding the side to a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in Wellington.
The 19-year-old struck in the 111th minute of a tight clash between the European heavyweights; the former sprinter made the most of the space given to her by the Dutch defenders as she made a break down the left side, pivoted momentarily before sending the ball into the back of the net for the winner.
It was the deciding moment in a thrilling contest. While Spain enjoyed the majority of the possession and asked plenty of questions of the defence, it wasn’t until the final 10 minutes of normal time that they were able to break the deadlock.
In a moment Stefanie van der Gragt would have wanted back, the Dutch defender swung her hand at the ball as a Spanish cross was fired in and made contact with it just inside the goal box; Mariona Caldentey making no mistake from the spot, with her strike ricocheting in off the inside of the post to give Spain a 1-0 lead.
Van der Gragt turned from villain to hero minutes later, equalising for the Dutch in the first of 12 added minutes.
