395 days later, the paths of Jorge Vilda and Sarina Wiegman cross again. England and Spain have faced each other 16 times – the team that has faced the red card the most times – but without a doubt this will be the most special. An unprecedented final for two nations that had never before gone so far in a World Cup. The perfect setting for the rematch. That July 21, 2022, England beat Spain in the quarterfinals of the Eurocup that was played on English soil, but the result went far beyond a victory for the lionesses. That match had disastrous consequences for Spain, plunging it into chaos with a fierce battle between the players and the Federation. England, on the other hand, would end up becoming European champions.
That day, Sarina Wiegman surpassed Jorge Vilda on the bench. Spain won thanks to a goal from Esther and was playing its best game of the tournament, but the Spanish coach did not succeed with the changes, who decided to remove Tere Abelleira, weakening the midfield. Wiegman, on the other hand, went for the game with offensive changes. Toone forced extra time and Stanway finished off the comeback. The rest is history. “We were above last year, but the result is what counts”, Vilda resigns.
Since then a year has passed. A year in which English football has not stopped growing, based on that Euro Cup. A year in which Spain has experienced one of its most bitter crises. 15 of their best players came out of the national team and only three of them are in Sydney today. Things have been improved: now they have a nutritionist, a larger coaching staff, a reconciliation policy that has allowed players to travel with their children and accompanied by their relatives... But there are still unhealed wounds and Jorge Vilda continues to tense up every time a journalist asks him about 15 o'clock. A constantly questioned coach that contrasts with the popular motto 'In Sarina we trust' (we trust Sarina) that the English fans have coined to refer to his coach. A blind faith that his players also give him. "She's great, she doesn't get enough recognition", "she's very honest and her knowledge of football and that of her staff is incredible", "she's honest and frank, and that's something I respect a lot as a player"... are some of the praises words of the soccer players in charge. Even Jorge Vilda himself surrenders to her: “She has shown her work with results. What she has achieved is not easy at all. It's a matter of preparation, talent, a good staff, as well as good players”.
And it is that the curriculum of the Dutch coach is available to very few. She will play her fourth consecutive final after being proclaimed European champion with the Netherlands (2017), being a finalist with the Oranje in the last World Cup (2019) and winning the European Championship with England a year ago. Plenty of arguments to have caught the attention of a team as powerful as the United States, despite the fact that the English Federation has no intention of letting it escape: “We will reject any offer they make us. It is not a matter of money, we are very happy with it”, they say.
If they beat Spain today, they would be the first coach to win a World Cup with two different teams. In addition, in the 30 World Cups that have been played –22 for men and 8 for women– a foreign coach has never managed to be champion. “Am I in a fairy tale?” She wondered after qualifying for the final. Of the twelve women who started the World Cup from the bench, only she has made it this far, something she knows is important for future generations: “It helps to see women on stage, on and off the field, because what you can see, It's what you can be." Both Vilda and Wiegman have something in common: they have known how to adapt. England has not dazzled with its football, but it has proven to be a chameleonic team, capable of winning with and without the ball, and reaching the final without three of its stars -Leah Williamson, Beth Mead, or Fran Kirby-.
Spain seemed to be shipwrecked when they met their first important rival in the group stage, but they were able to recover from the defeat against Japan and have not stopped growing since then. "The team has evolved, it has continued to grow, on a mental level it has gone a step further," explains Vilda,
Both are clear about a good part of the gala eleven that will help them win their first World Cup, although there are doubts on both sides. Lauren James, England's top scorer with 3 goals, has already served her two-game ban for stepping on the Nigerian Alozie in the round of 16 and is available, but Ella Toone has become strong in the eleven. In Spain, Oihane Hernández has also served his penalty for accumulating cards, but Olga Carmona, author of the goal that sent the red to the final, has more options to repeat ownership. We will also have to see what happens with Alexia Putellas and if she decides to repeat with Salma Paralluelo as a shock in the second half, or if she starts. "There will be a tactical, technical, competitive battle," predicts Jorge Vilda. The show is served.
