#espwnt 2019 review

[laiasbian]

ESPWNT 2019 Review (4/5): Awards & Honors

As we approach the end of the decade year, I wanted to summarize where things currently stand for the Spanish women’s football team and what lies ahead. For this post, we look at the awards and honors received by the national team players in 2019. 

The Guardian Top 100

Six players from Spain made The Guardian’s list of the top 100 women’s football players in 2019:

Jenni Hermoso, 25 (49 in 2018)

Irene Paredes, 48 (63 in 2018)

Alexia Putellas, 62 (85 in 2018)

Mapi León, 74 (unranked in 2018)

Sandra Paños, 86 (unranked in 2018)

Marta Torrejón, 92 (unranked in 2018)

Goal 50

Jenni Hermoso was the lone Spanish player to be selected as one of goal.com’s top 50 players, coming in at #25 on the women’s list. 

Catalan Football Gala of Stars

Aitana Bonmatí, Best Female Player (Alexia Putellas and Berta Pujadas also nominated)

Laia Aleixandri, Most Promising Female Player (Claudia Pina and Ana Torrodá also nominated) 

Alexia Putellas, Highest Female Goal Scorer

UEFA U-19 Team of the Tournament

Two players from Spain were selected as starters for the UEFA U-19 Championship Team of the Tournament:

Laia Aleixandri, Atlético Madrid (made the U17 team in 2016 and 2017)

Rosa Márquez, Real Betis (made team as starter in 2018)

Three players were selected as substitutes:

Cata Coll, Sevilla/Barcelona

Eva Navarro, Levante (made the U17 team in 2018)

Ana Torrodà, Espanyol (made team as starter in 2018)

UEFA U-17 Team of the Tournament

Three players from Spain were selected as starters for the UEFA U-17 Championship Team of the Tournament:

Jana Fernández, Barcelona

Ana Tejada, Real Sociedad (also made the team in 2018)

Ascension Martinez, Valencia 

Other Honors

Jenni Hermoso: Top goal scorer, Algarve Cup (3)

Jenni Hermoso: Player of the Match, World Cup (RSA v. ESP)

Jenni Hermoso: Top goal scorer, Primera Iberdrola 2018-19 season (24)

First World Cup victory (3-1 vs. South Africa)

Team Rankings

FIFA World Rankings: Spain, #13

UEFA National Team: Spain, #6

UEFA U-19 National Team: #1

UEFA U-17 National Team: #2

UEFA Country Coefficient: Spain, #4

UEFA Club Coefficient: FC Barcelona, #3

UEFA Club Coefficient: Atlético Madrid, #13

UEFA Club Coefficient: Athletic Club, #31

Attendance

These aren’t all about the national team, but still important for Spanish women’s football nonetheless.

Spain vs. Azerbaijan: Record for attendance at a women’s national team match in Spain (10,444)

Spain vs. United States: Record for attendance at a women’s national team friendly in Spain (9,182)

Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona: World record for attendance at a women’s club football match (60,739)

Athletic Club vs. Atlético Madrid: Record for attendance at a women’s club match in Europe (48,121), broken by Atlético vs. Barcelona

Primera Iberdrola matches with 20,000+ spectators:

Athletic Club vs. Levante (24,986)

Real Betis vs. Sevilla (23,812)

Real Sociedad vs. Athletic Club (21,234)

RCD Espanyol vs.  Atlético Madrid (20,615)

[laiasbian]

ESPWNT 2019 Review (3/5): Youth Teams

As we approach the end of the decade year, I wanted to summarize where things currently stand for the Spanish women’s football team and what lies ahead. For this post, we look at how Spain’s youth teams fared in 2019.

U-17 European Championship

Hoping to snag their fifth U-17 Euro title, the defending champions opened competition with a 0-0 draw against Denmark. They didn’t have any trouble scoring during the rest of the group stage, winning 3-0 against Bulgaria and 6-0 against Portugal. Salma Paralluelo and Silvia Lloris led the attack for Spain, scoring 6 and 5 goals in those two games, respectively. The Spanish teenagers finished first in their group, earning them a spot in the semifinal round against the Netherlands. Unfortunately, their scoring prowess from the previous two games did not roll over into this match. Spain couldn’t break through until a Silvia Lloris goal in the 92nd minute, while the Dutch had already scored three goals by that time. With this early exit, the U-17 team snapped their streak of 5 straight finals appearances.

U-19 European Championship

Just like their U-17 counterparts, Spain’s U-19 team entered the tournament as the defending champions. In fact, they had a chance to pull off a three-peat, having won the last two titles. Claudia Pina was busy during the first match against Belgium. After seeing all of her shots be saved by the Belgian keeper, she finally broke the scoreless tie with a penalty in the 56th minute. Laia Aleixandri would add another goal a few minutes later from a corner kick, and Spain would go on to win the game 2-0. The next match against England featured a goal from Olga Carmona, who scored after receiving a beautiful cross from Eva Navarro. This was the only goal Spain scored in the match, but it proved to be enough as they won 1-0, clinching a spot in the knockout round. Spain entered their final group stage match against Germany needing a win to secure first place, but they ended in a 0-0 draw. Mirroring their senior counterparts in the World Cup, Spain placed second in their group behind the Germans. The semifinal match against France was an agonizing one for Spain. The offense was pretty much dormant for the entire match, but luckily they had held France scoreless as well. That would change once they got to extra time, however. France scored not once, not twice, but three times within 10 minutes after having gone 100 minutes without a goal. Athenea del Castillo added a goal for Spain in the final minute, but it wasn’t much of a consolation prize. Following the U-17 team’s lead, they too snapped their streak of 5 straight appearances in the U-19 Euro Championship finals. They did, however, qualify for the U-20 World Cup next year.

Players to Watch

Despite the disappointing competition results in 2019, Spain’s youth teams are still made up of amazingly talented individuals. Some players to keep an eye on include:

Laia Aleixandri

Berta Pujadas

Claudia Pina

Eva Navarro

Cata Coll

Jana Fernandez

Salma Paralluelo (fun fact: she’s a dual athlete who also competes in athletics competitions)

Another fun fact: In 2018, Spain became the first country to win both the women’s U-17 and U-19 championships in the same year. ¡Vamos España!

[laiasbian]

ESPWNT 2019 Review (5/5): Highlights

As we approach the end of the decade year, I wanted to summarize where things currently stand for the Spanish women’s football team and what lies ahead. To wrap up the series, here’s a laundry list of highlights from 2019:

Algarve Cup

Algarve Cup 2019: Espanha 2 - 0 Holanda (Grupo B, Dia 1)

Highlights: Spanje - OranjeLeeuwinnen (27/02/2019) Algarve Cup 2019

Algarve Cup 2019: 7.º e 8.º - Suíça 0 - 2 Espanha

World Cup

Spain v South Africa - FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™

Germany v Spain - FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™

China PR v Spain - FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™

Spain v USA - FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™

Friendlies

WNT vs. Spain: Highlights - Jan. 22, 2019

USWNT vs. Spain (January 22, 2019) *Full Match*

England 2-1 Spain | Lionesses Dominate Against Spain! | Lionesses (🙄 at that title)

England v Spain - Womens Football Internationals 2019 *Full Match*

HIGHLIGHTS | Spain vs Canada | May 24, 2019 | #CANWNTxOneSoccer

France 2 - 0 Spain - HIGHLIGHTS AND GOALS - 08/31/19

Youth Teams

#WU17 Group stage highlights: Portugal 0–6 Spain

#WU17 Semi-final highlights: Spain 1-3 Netherlands

UEFA U19 Group Stage: Spain v Belgium (login required)

UEFA U19 Group Stage: Spain v England (login required)

UEFA U19 Group Stage: Spain v Germany (login required)

UEFA U19 Semi-final: Spain v France (login required)

And just for fun:

Selección Española Femenina // Mejores momentos (parte 1)

Selección Española Femenina // Mejores momentos (parte 2)

Selección Española Femenina // Mejores momentos (parte 3)

Selección Española Femenina // Mejores momentos (parte 4)

[laiasbian]

ESPWNT 2019 Review (1/5): Match Results

As we approach the end of the decade year, I wanted to summarize where things currently stand for the Spanish women’s football team and what lies ahead. For this post, we look at the team’s match results from 2019.

Algarve Cup

La Roja made their first appearance in the Algarve Cup since winning the tournament in 2017. They got off to a good start with a 2-0 win over the Netherlands, thanks to two goals from Jenni Hermoso. They followed up their win with a 3-0 loss to Poland, placing them second in their group. Their -1 goal differential landed them in the seventh-place match against Switzerland, which they won thanks to yet another Jenni goal and an own goal from Melanie Müller. Despite a disappointing result, Jenni finished the competition tied for the most goals with 3.

World Cup

The 2019 World Cup was Spain’s second ever appearance in the tournament. Looking to improve upon their group stage departure from 2015, Spain needed to battle the likes of South Africa, Germany, and China. 

The Spanish were able to secure a come-from-behind victory against South Africa in their first game, scoring three unanswered goals in the last 25 minutes of the match. Jenni scored two penalties, one to draw even and one to pull ahead, while Lucía García delivered the final blow in the 89th minute. Unsurprisingly, Jenni was named Player of the Match for her heroics. The next match did not go as well for La Roja. Playing in an outright downpour, Spain could not take advantage of their numerous chances and ended up losing 1-0. Their final match ended as a 0-0 draw against China, but that’s all they would need to advance to the knockout stage for the first time in their history. Unfortunately, they would have to face the defending champion United States. 

Spain did their best to pull off a David-vs-Goliath-style win to move on to the next round. The US got off to a quick start, thanks to a frustrating penalty, but Spain answered almost immediately. Jenni scored after a Becky Sauerbrunn blunder to draw even with the women’s soccer behemoth. This was the first goal that the United States had conceded in the tournament. The match remained square all the way until the 75th minute, when a penalty even more frustrating than the first one led to another US goal. The score would remain unchanged, and Spain was eliminated. As disappointing as this match was, La Roja could find solace in the fact that they achieved a new best by making it to the Round of 16. One could certainly argue that they came closer to beating the US than any other team in the tournament. 

Euro Qualifiers

Spain began their journey to the 2021 UEFA Championship with a win against Azerbaijan in front of a record crowd (10,044 spectators). Two goals from Aitana Bonmatí and a goal apiece for Patri Guijarro and Virginia Torrecilla led Spain to a convincing 4-0 victory. They followed that up with another strong showing against the Czech Republic, winning 5-1 thanks to goals from Mariona Caldentey, Aitana, Irene Paredes, and Jenni. The Spanish finished 2019 with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Poland, although this was an improvement over their 3-0 loss in the Algarve Cup earlier in the year. Spain currently stands in first place in Group D with 7 points, one point ahead of second-place Czech Republic.

Friendlies

Spain began the year with friendlies against Belgium and the United States. The Belgium match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Alba Redondo scoring the only goal for Spain. They dropped the US match 1-0, with an epic Christen Press run resulting in the only goal for either side. The Spanish welcomed Brazil in April, beating them 2-1 on goals from Alexia Putellas and Virginia. A few days later, they would lose to England 2-1, with Aitana scoring their only goal. The May friendlies featured a more experimental squad, as the Barcelona players were busy with the Champions League final. Plenty of new faces helped Spain beat Cameroon 4-0. Irene Guerrero, Sandra Hernandez, and Laia Aleixandri each scored their first career goals with the senior team, while Alba Redondo scored the second of her career. Canada, as expected, proved to be a much tougher matchup, ending in a 0-0 draw. The friendly against Japan resulted in another draw. After Jenni scored a penalty in the first half, Spain was on the brink of claiming the victory until giving up an 85th-minute goal to end the game 1-1. The last friendly of the year came just before the start of the Primera Iberdrola season. Spain lost 2-0 to France, continuing their scoring struggles from the World Cup.

By the Numbers

2019 W-L-T Record (GF/GA)

Algarve Cup:   2-1-0 (3/3)

World Cup:   1-2-1 (4/4)

Euro Qualifiers:  2-0-1 (9/1)

Friendlies:   2-3-3 (9/8)

Overall:   7-6-5 (25/16)

vs. Top 10 Teams: 2-5-2 (7/10)

Goals per Match (GF/GA)

Algarve Cup:   1/1

World Cup:   1/1

Euro Qualifiers:  3/.33

Friendlies:   1.125/1

Overall:   1.389/.89

vs. Top 10 Teams: .777/1.111

Clean Sheets

Algarve Cup:   2

World Cup:   1

Euro Qualifiers:  2

Friendlies:   2

Overall: 7

vs. Top 10 Teams: 2

[laiasbian]

ESPWNT 2019 Review (2/5): Player Rundown

As we approach the end of the decade year, I wanted to summarize where things currently stand for the Spanish women’s football team and what lies ahead. For this post, we look at the players who were selected for the team in 2019.

Starters

The following players started at least one match for Spain in 2019 (Club, Starts/Minutes):

Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona, 4/488)

Alba Redondo (Levante, 2/213)

Alexia Putellas (Barcelona, 13/1091)

Amanda Sampedro (Atletico Madrid, 7/488)

Andrea Falcón (Barcelona, 4/309)

Andrea Pereira (Barcelona, 4/437)

Angela Sosa (Atletico Madrid, 1/119)

Celia Jiménez (Reign/Glory, 3/312)

Esther Gonzalez (Levante, 1/100)

Eunate Arraiza (Athletic Club, 1/46)

Irene Guerrero (Real Betis, 1/110)

Irene Paredes (Paris Saint-Germain, 16/1340)

Ivana Andrés (Levante, 5/480)

Jenni Hermoso (Barcelona, 14/1171)

Laia Aleixandri (Atletico Madrid, 1/90)

Leila Ouahabi (Barcelona, 8/844)

Lola Gallardo (Atletico Madrid, 3/270)

Lucía García (Athletic Club, 4/523)

Mapi León (Barcelona, 14/1149)

Mariasun Quiñones (Real Sociedad, 1/90)

Mariona Caldentey (Barcelona, 13/1112)

Marta Cardona (Real Sociedad, 1/119)

Marta Carro (Valencia, 1/99)

Marta Corredera (Levante, 12/1103)

Marta Torrejón (Barcelona, 7/518)

Nahikari García (Real Sociedad, 6/590)

Olga García (Atletico Madrid, 1/167)

Patri Guijarro (Barcelona, 6/577)

Sandra Hernández (Valencia, 2/136)

Sandra Paños (Barcelona, 13/1170)

Sara Serrat (Sevilla, 1/90)

Silvia Meseguer (Atletico Madrid, 7/552)

Vicky Losada (Barcelona, 9/622)

Virginia Torrecilla (Atletico Madrid, 13/1124)

Subs

The following players appeared in at least one match in 2019, but did not start (Club, Appearances/Minutes):

Damaris Egurrola (Athletic Club, 1/8)

Eva Navarro (Levante, 2/33)

Ona Batlle (Levante, 3/105)

Rocío Gálvez (Levante, 1/8)

Sheila García (Rayo Vallecano, 1/16)

Call-Ups

The following players were called up in 2019, but did not play any minutes (Club):

Ana Vallés (Tacon)

Bárbara Latorre (Real Sociedad)

Cata Coll (Sevilla)

Gema Gili (Levante)

Lucía Rodríguez (Real Sociedad)

Maitane Lopez (Levante)

Patricia Larque (Rayo Vallecano)

Debuts

The following players made their debut with the senior team in 2019:

Laia Aleixandri

Eva Navarro

Sara Serrat

Ona Batlle

Irene Guerrero

Marta Cardona

Sheila Garcia

Damaris Egurrola

Retirements

The following players retired from the national team in 2019:

Marta Torrejon

Silvia Meseguer

Captains

Irene Paredes

Jenni Hermoso

Virginia Torrecilla

Amanda Sampedro

Leaders

Appearances

Irene Paredes - 16

Mariona Caldentey - 16

Jenni Hermoso - 15

Mapi León - 15

Virginia Torrecilla - 15

Marta Corredera - 15

Alexia Putellas - 15

Minutes

Irene Paredes - 1,340

Jenni Hermoso - 1,171

Sandra Paños - 1,170

Mapi León - 1,149

Virginia Torrecilla - 1,124

Goals

Jenni Hermoso - 8

Aitana Bonmatí - 4

Virginia Torrecilla - 2

Alba Redondo - 2

Source: https://int.soccerway.com/teams/spain/spain/4128/