OneFootball
Lewis Ambrose·21 August 2023
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Lewis Ambrose·21 August 2023
The Women’s World Cup has a new champion following Spain’s 1-0 win over England on Sunday. And just like that, a month of sensational football has come to an end.
Here’s who made our OneFootball team of the tournament.
Australia’s Mackenzie Arnold and England’s Mary Earps can both consider themselves unfortunate not to get the nod but Mušović enjoyed a truly outstanding tournament, especially in producing a world class performance as Sweden knocked out the USA.
Playing on the right of a back three for the most part, but also lining up at the heart of the back four and covering at left-back, Chelsea’s Carter was England’s breakthrough player of the summer. The defender did not feature at last summer’s Euros but looks undroppable now and was particularly excellent in keeping Linda Caicedo and Caitlin Foord quiet in the knockout rounds.
Ilestedt defended solidly in the ground and in the air but, incredibly, it was the other end where she shone brightest, ending the tournament one goal shy of the Golden Boot. The centre-back arrived Down Under with eight international goals in 62 caps. Including Olympic Games, she had never scored in 18 major finals appearances. Suddenly she was on the end of everything, finding the net four times in seven games as Sweden finished third.
Arguably England’s best and most consistent player, Greenwood had to settle for appearances from the bench at last summer’s Euros but came into the side for injured captain Leah Williamson this time around and she shone. Defensively sound and superb on the ball, she kept England in control of matches and helped drive them forward. A brilliant tournament.
Carmona’s tournament tracks Spain’s almost perfectly. She was excellent as things begun with big wins over Costa Rica and Zambia. She was subbed at half-time as Spain lost 4-0 to Japan. She didn’t face Switzerland and featured in extra-time as Spain overcame the Netherlands before reclaiming her spot in the starting line-up and venturing forward to score the winners in the semi-final and the final.
The best player at the World Cup, simple. Bonmatí glides through games, totally unfussed by any level of chaos or mayhem around her. The midfielder has been one of the world’s best for years but often found herself in the shadow of Alexia Putellas at both club and international level. Not anymore. With the ball seemingly glued to her feet, with passes never failing to find their target and with unrivalled decision-making, the 25-year-old drove Spain forward over and over again.
The motor at the heart of the Australian midfield, Gorry was the tournament’s best ball winner whether she was snapping into tackles, muscling opponents out of possession, or darting onto loose balls quicker than anyone else could react. The 30-year-old wasn’t as effective in possession, with 21-year-old team-mate Kyra Cooney-Cross providing more punch on the ball and the duo forming the most complementary of partnerships.
A striker for most of her career, Hermoso excelled in midfield at 33. She probed with her movement and her passing, opponents couldn’t get the ball off of her. No player recorded higher for expected assists, no player took as many final third touched, and just two players managed to get away more shots. Her quality on the ball was clear to see throughout and there was end product too, with three goals and two assists.
The Golden Boot winner, Miyazawa was lethal when Japan attacked on the break and just as dangerous when they kept the ball and built attacks with superb movement and technical quality. Someone needs to get onto the end of things and she did that consistently, scoring five and assisting another for the team many fancied as the tournament’s most entertaining.
There was no true standout number nine at this tournament — Kadidiatou Diani impressed but her impact came in games France dominated and not when they needed her most, while Popp was excellent but did not reach the knockout rounds. Still, the German managed to score four in total, netting in all three group stage games, before the early exit. Germany may have disappointed but their captain did not.
A close call between Linda Caicedo and Salma Paralluelo, who we’ll keep in reserve for the supersub role she played for Spain as she came off the bench to score the winner in the quarter-final and the opener in the semi-final. Caicedo, though, used the tournament to confirm her status not as one of the most promising players in the world but one of the best already. Thrilling to watch, a nightmare to defend, Caicedo is still just 18 but had a sensational summer with her ability to take defenders on and create something out of nothing.