In the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday, Spain defeated England 1-0, capping up a tournament that smashed records for viewers and attendance and fueled expectations for a spike in interest in women’s soccer.
The ninth edition of the world’s premier event, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, was the first to take place in the southern hemisphere.
Local interest waned after Australia lost in the semi-finals, but after Sunday’s final attendance of 75,784 is factored in, little under two million spectators will have entered the venues in the nine host cities.
An Olga Carmona goal was the difference between the two sides in a pulsating game that saw Spain create the majority of the clear-cut chances.
“We suffered, it was a difficult match (but) we always thought we were going to make it,” Carmona, who was also named player of the match, told Spanish state broadcaster TVE.
La Roja were rocked by a locker room dispute between the squad and coach Jorge Vilda and the Spanish football federation, with some of their best players absent from the tournament as a result.
But despite a shock 4-0 loss to Japan in the group stage, the team has shone throughout the tournament with their brand of attractive, attacking football.
“I can’t imagine how much excitement there will be in Spain,” Vilda told TVE.
“We are going to celebrate here and we don’t know when it will end.”
Thousands of fans milled around Stadium Australia in Sydney hours before kick-off on Sunday, with troupes of drummers and stilt walkers creating a festival atmosphere.
